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Mr.    H.    H.    Kil  iani 


Mama  .  .  .  have  pity  on  him  and  on  me 

Original  Etching 


dlUustratrii  ^trrluui  iEiiitiint 


HARD  CASH 

A   MATTER-OF-FACT  ROMANCE 

VOLUME   I 


By 
CHARLES   READE,  D.  C.  L. 


BOSTON 

DANA  ESTE5  &  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNU 

SANTA  BARBARA 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 


HARD    CASH 
Vol.  I. 

PAGE 

"  Mama  .  .  .  have  pity  on  him  and  on  me  "        Frontispiece 

Took  off  his  hat  to  them 52 

She  shared  her  hymn  book  with  him      ....     129 

Two    BLACK    men WERE    FIGHTING    AND    STRUGGLING  .       236 

The  men  were  upon  him 304 

Hardie  got  the  notes  and  bills  all  in  a  hurry        .    345 


PREFACE 


"Hard  Cash,"  like  "The  Cloister  and  the  Hearth," 
is  a  matter-of-fact  romance  ;  that  is,  a  fiction  built  on 
truths ;  and  these  truths  have  been  gathered  by  long, 
severe,  systematic  labor,  from  -a  multitude  of  volumes, 
pamphlets,  journals,  reports,  blue-books,  manuscript 
narratives,  letters,  and  living  people,  whom  1  have 
sought  out,  examined,  and  cross-examined,  to  get  at  the 
truth  on  each  main  topic  I  have  striven  to  handle. 

The  madhouse  scenes  have  been  picked  out  by  certain 
disinterested  gentlemen  who  keep  private  asylums,  and 
periodicals  to  puff  them ;  and  have  been  met  with  bold 
denials  of  public  facts  and  with  timid  personalities,  and 
a  little  easy  cant  about  Sensation  ^  Novelists ;  but  in 
reality  those  passages  have  been  written  on  the  same 
system  as  the  nautical,  legal,  and  other  scenes ;  the  best 

•  This  slang  term  is  not  quite  accurate  as  applied  to  me.  Without  sensa- 
tion tticre  can  be  no  interest;  but  my  plan  is  to  mix  a  little  character  and  a 
Httle  philosopliy  with  the  sensational  element. 


4  PREFACE. 

evidence  has  been  ransacked ;  and  a  large  portion  of  this 

evidence  I  shall  be  happy  to  show  at  my  honse  to  any 

brother  writer  who  is   disinterested,    and    really  cares 

enough  for  truth  and  humanity  to  walk  or  ride  a  mile  in 

pursuit  of  them, 

CHARLES   READE. 
6  Bolton  Row,  Mayf^ii 
December  5,  1863. 


CORRESPONDENCE    ELICITED    BY    THE 
FIRST   EDITION   OF   "HARD   CASH." 


Private  Asylums. 


To  the  Editor  of  the  Daily  Neics. 

Sir,  —  When  a  writer  of  sensation  romances  makes  a 
heroine  push  a  superfluous  husband  into  a  well,  or  set  a 
house  on  fire,  in  order  to  get  rid  of  disagreeable  testi- 
mony, we  smile  over  the  highly  seasoned  dish,  but  do 
not  think  it  necessary  to  apply  the  warning  to  ourselves, 
and  for  the  future  avoid  sitting  on  the  edge  of  a  draw- 
well,  or  having  any  but  fireproof  libraries.  But  when 
we  read,  as  in  the  novel  "  Very  Hard  Cash,"  now  pub- 
lishing in  "  All  the  Year  Round,"  that  any  man  may,  at 
any  moment,  be  consigned  to  a  fate  which  to  a  sane  man 
would  be  worse  than  death,  and  that  not  by  the  single 
act  of  any  of  our  Lady  Audleys,  or  other  interesting 
criminals,  but  as  part  of  a  regular  organized  system, 
in  all  compliance  with  the  laws  of  the  land  —  when  we 
read  this,  a  thrill  of  terror  goes  through  the  public  mind. 
If  what  Mr.  Charles  Reade  says  be  possible,  who  is  safe  ? 

Allow  me,  as  one  thoroughly  conversant  with  the  work- 
ing of  the  law  of  lunacy,  to  reassure  the  minds  of  your 
readers,  by  informing  them  that  it  is  not  possible.     So 

5 


6  CORRESPONDENCE   ELICITED   BY   THE 

many  are  the  checks  and  securities  with  which  the  legis- 
lature has  most  properly  surrounded  the  person  of  an 
alleged  lunatic;  so  vigilant,  patient,  and  so  zealous  in 
the  discharge  of  their  duties  are  the  Commissioners  in 
Lunacy  and  the  officially  appointed  visitors  of  asylums, 
that  any  one  (not  a  sensation  writer)  imagining  that 
these  checks  and  securities  could  be  evaded,  these  visit- 
ors hoodwinked  in  the  way  the  author  describes,  would 
himself  be  a  fit  subject  for  a  commission  ^' de  lunatlco 
inqulretido.^' 

So  far  from  commissioners  and  visitors  being  put  off 
with  any  "  formula,"  such  as  the  author  quotes,  and 
believing  anybody  rather  than  the  patient  himself,  the 
exact  contrary  is  the  fact,  and  very  properly  so. 

In  my  own  case.  Earl  Nelson,  Viscount  Folkestone, 
General  Buckley,  M.P.,  the  Rev,  Charles  Grove,  and 
Mr.  Martin  Coats,  and  in  other  asylums,  magistrates  of 
equal  intelligence  and  high  standing,  fill  the  office  of 
visitors ;  and  never  in  any  case  do  they  refuse  a  private 
interview  to  any  patient  asking  it.  In  these  interviews 
no  interference  of  any  doctors  or  attendants,  or  any 
"formula,"  is  possible,  and  the  visitors  will  listen  even 
to  the  most  incoherent  ravings  if  there  appears  to  be  the 
slightest  clew  to  be  gathered  from  them  to  any  real 
grievance. 

1  say  nothing  of  the  terrible  slander  cast  upon  a  body 
of  professional  men  to  which  I  am  proud  to  belong. 
There  is  no  redress  for  that.  There  are  certain  offences 
with  which  no  court  of  law  can  deal  ;  offences  against 
decency,  good  taste,  and  truth,  which  can  be  brought 
before  no  tribunal  but  that  of  public  opinion. 

I  would  only  challenge  ]Mr.  lieade,  in  conclusion,  if  he 
has  the  slightest  grounds  for  any  belief  in  the  possibility 
of  the  incidents  he  has  put  in  print,  to  state  those 
grounds.     Let  him  quote  his  case,  and  openly  and  fear- 


FIRST   EDITION    OF    "HARD   CASH."  7 

lessly  declare  when  and  where  such  atrocities  occurred. 
I  do  not  ask  for  one  in  all  points  resembling  that  which 
he  has  published ;  but  one  that  furnishes  even  the  slight- 
est excuse  for  such  a  libellous  attack  upon  those  medical 
men  who,  like  myself,  practise  in  lunacy. 
I  am,  etc., 

J.     S.     BUSHNAN,    M.D. 
LA.VERSTOCK  House  Asylum,  Salisbury. 

Private  Asylums. 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Daily  News. 

Sir,  —  My  attention  is  drawn  to  a  letter  written  to 
you  by  J.  S.  Bushnan,  ]M.D.,  to  vent  a  little  natural 
irritation  on  the  author  of  "  Very  Hard  Cash,"  and  lull 
the  public  back  into  the  false  security  from  which  that 
work  is  calculated  to  rouse  them. 

1  pass  by  his  personalities  in  silence ;  but,  when  he 
tells  you,  in  the  roundabout  style  of  his  tribe,  that  "  Very 
Hard  Cash  "  rests  on  no  basis  of  fact ;  that  sane  persons 
cannot  possibly  be  incarcerated  or  detained  under  our 
Lunacy  Acts ;  that  the  gentlemen  who  pay  an  asylum 
four  flying  visits  a  year  know  all  that  passes  in  it  the 
odd  three  hundred  and  sixty -one  days,  and  are  never  out- 
witted and  humbugged  on  the  spot ;  that  no  interference 
of  doctors  or  attendants  between  visitor  and  patient,  and 
no  formulae  of  cant  and  deception  are  possible  within 
the  walls  of  a  madhouse  — this  is  to  play  too  hard  upon 
the  credulity  of  the  public,  and  the  forgetfulness  of  the 
press.  1  beg  to  contradict  all  and  every  one  of  his 
general  statements,  more  courteously,  I  trust,  than  he 
has  contradicted  me,  but  quite  as  seriously  and  positively. 

Dr.  Bushnan  knows  neither  the  subject  he  is  writing 
of,  nor  the  man  he  is  writing  at.  In  matters  of  lunacy, 
1  am  not  only  a  novelist ;  I  am  also  that  humble  citizen, 


8  CORRESPONDENCE    ELICITED    BY   THE 

who,  not  long  ago,  with  the  aid  of  the  press,  protected  a 
sane  man  who  had  been  falsely  imprisoned  in  a  private 
lunatic  asylum  ;  hindered  his  recapture,  showed  him  his 
legal  remedy,  fed,  clothed,  and  kept  him  for  twelve 
months  with  the  aid  of  one  true-hearted  friend,  during 
all  which  time  a  great  functionary,  though  paid  many 
thousands  a  year  to  do  what  1  was  doing  at  my  own  ex- 
pense —  justice  —  did  all  he  could  to  defeat  justice,  and 
break  the  poor  suitor's  back  and  perpetuate  his  stigma, 
by  tyrannically  postponing,  and  postponing,  and  postpon- 
ing, and  postponing  his  trial  to  please  the  defendant.  At 
last  this  great  procrastinator  retired,  and  so  that  worst 
enemy  of  justice,  "the  postponement  swindle,"  died,  and 
by  its  death  trial  by  jury  rose  again  from  the  dead,  even 
for  an  alleged  lunatic.  Well,  sir,  no  sooner  did  we  get 
him  before  thirteen  honest  men  in  the  light  of  day,  than 
this  youth  —  whom  the  mad  doctors  had  declared  and  still 
declared  insane,  whom  two  homuncules,  commissioners 
in  lunacy,  had  twice  visited  in  the  asylum,  and  conversed 
with,  and  done  nothing  whatever  towards  his  liberation  — 
stood  up  eight  hours  in  the  witness-box,  was  examined, 
cross-examined,  badgered;  yet  calm,  self-possessed,  and  so 
manifestly  sane,  that  the  defendant  resigned  the  contest, 
and  compounded  the  inevitable  damages,  giving  us  a 
verdict,  the  costs,  fifty  pounds  cash,  and  an  annuity  of 
one  hundred  pounds  a  year. 

All  this,  says  Dr.  Bushnan,  is  impossible. 

I  closely  examined  this  youth  as  to  his  fellow-patients, 
and,  as  he  could  minutely  describe  the  illusions  of  the 
insane  ones,  I  find  it  hard  to  doubt  his  positive  state- 
ment that  two  patients  in  that  same  house  were  perfectly 
sane. 

Of  course  the  main  event  I  have  related  made  some 
noise ;  real  and  alleged  lunatics  heard  there  was  a 
Quixotic  ass  in  this  island,  who  would,  in  his  unguarded 


FIRST    EDITION    OF    "HARD   CASH."  9 

moments,  give  away  justice  at  his  own  expense,  instead 
of  selling  it  for  so  many  thousands  a  year  and  not  deliv- 
ering the  article ;  and  I  was  inundated  with  letters  and 
petitions,  and  opened  a  vein  of  private  research  by 
which  the  readers  of  "  Hard  Cash  "  will  profit,  all  except 
])r.  Bushnan,  A  lady  called  on  me  and  asked  me  to  get 
her  sister  out  of  a  private  asylum,  assuring  me  she  was 
sane,  and  giving  me  proofs.  Having  observed  that  to 
get  out  of  an  asylum  you  must  first  be  out  of  it,  I  cud- 
gelled my  brains,  and  split  this  prisoner  in  half ;  I  drew 
up  a  little  document  authorizing  a  certain  sharp  attorney 
to  proceed  in  law  or  equity  for  her  relief ;  and  sent  her 
sister  into  the  asylum  to  get  it  signed  by  the  prisoner. 
She  did  sign  it,  and  thus  armed,  her  other  self,  the 
attorney,  being  outside  the  asylum,  was  listened  to, 
though  a  deaf  ear  had  always  been  turned  to  her.  After 
a  correspondence,  which  has  served  me  as  a  model  in 
the  current  number  of  "  Hard  Cash,"  after,  in  vain,  sug- 
gesting her  discharge  to  the  parties  pecuniarily  inter- 
ested in  detaining  her,  the  board  actually  plucked  up 
courage  and  discharged  her  themselves.  We  all  saw  her 
often  after  this,  and  were  hours  in  her  company.  She 
was  perfectly  sane,  as  sane  as  I  am,  and  much  saner 
than  some  of  the  mad  doctors  are  at  this  hour,  as  time 
will  show.  This  case  opened  another  vein  of  research, 
and  my  detective  staff  was  swelled  by  a  respectable  ex- 
attendant  (female),  who  gave  me  the  names  of  two  or 
three  sane  ladies,  at  that  time  in  durance  vilest  to  her 
knowledge. 

Tliree  years  after  the  supposed  date  of  Alfred 
Hardie's  impossible  incarceration  came  the  flagrant  case 
of  "  Mathew  v.  Harty,"  some  of  whose  delicious  inci- 
dents have  been  used  in  "  Hard  Cash,"  and  will  be  con- 
tradicted by  humbugs  and  condemned  as  improbable  by 
gulls;  at  least  1  venture  to  hope  so.    The  defendant  was 


10  CORRESPONDENCE   ELICITED   BY   THE 

one  of  that  immaculate  class,  to  criticise  some  of  whom, 
if  I  understand  Dr.  Bushnan  aright,  is  to  libel  the  whole 
body ;  and  the  plaintiff  was  a  distinguished  young 
scholar  in  Dublin.  Defendant  enticed  him  into  a  mad- 
house, and  there  left  him  in  a  common  flagged  cell ;  but 
to  amuse  his  irrational  mind,  lent  him  what  ?  Peter 
Parley,  or  Dr.  Littlewit's  conjectures  about  the  intellect 
of  Hamlet  ?  Oh,  dear  no ;  "  Stack's  Optics,"  "  Lloyd's 
Mechanical  Philosophy,"  "  Brinkley's  Astronomy," 
"  Cicero  de  Officiis,"  and  "  Stock's  Lucian." 

Enter  the  oliicial  inspector ;  is  appealed  to,  admits  his 
sanity,  promises  to  liberate  him,  and  with  that  promise 
dismisses  the  matter  from  his  official  mind,  and  goes  his 
way  contented.  This  was  sworn  to  afterwards  and  not 
contradicted.  Then  comes  Dr.  Harty  and  urges  him  to 
confession  in  these  memorable  Avords,  sworn  to,  and  not 
contradicted  ;  "  Your  safety  will  consist  in  acknowledg- 
ing you  are  insane,  and  your  sanity  will  appear  by 
admitting  your  insanity."  Mathew  saw  the  hook,  and 
declined  the  bait.  Now  there  was  in  this  asylum  a  boy 
called  Hoolahan,  whose  young  mind  had  not  been 
poisoned,  and  whose  naked  eye  was  as  yet  undimmed  by 
the  spectacles  of  cant  and  prejudice.  So  he  saw  at  a 
glance  Mathew  was  sane,  and,  not  being  paid  a  thousand 
a  year  to  pity  him,  pitied  him.  Hoolahan  took  a  letter 
to  Mathew's  college  chum.  In  that  letter  Mathew 
poured  out  his  wrongs  and  his  distress.  But  suppose  it 
should  be  intercepted  !  Mathew  provided  against  this 
contingency ;  he  couched  his  letter  in  Ciceronian  Latin, 
humbly  conceiving  that  this  language  would  puzzle  the 
doctors  as  much  as  the  Latin  in  their  prescriptions 
would  puzzle  Cicero.  Mr.  Hall  got  the  letter,  and,  not 
being  paid  to  protect  alleged  lunatics,  took  the  matter 
up  in  earnest,  and  so  frightened  Dr.  Harty  that  he  dis- 
charged Mathew  at  once  ;  and  said,  "  Now,  don't  you  be 


FIKST  EDITION   OP   "HARD  CASH."  11 

induced  to  bother  me  about  this  trifle  ;  I'm  an  okl  man, 
and  going  to  die  almost  immediately."  On  this  Mathew 
took  the  alarm,  and  served  a  writ  on  him  Avithout  loss  of 
time.  The  cause  came  on,  and  was  urged  and  defended 
with  equal  forensic  ability.  But  evidence  decides  cases, 
and  the  plaintiff's  evidence  was  overpowering.  Then 
the  defendant,  despairing  of  a  verdict,  bethought  him 
how  he  might  lower  the  inevitable  damages ;  he 
instructed  his  counsel  to  reveal  that  "  the  young  man 
who  was  now  prosecuting  him  to  the  death  was  his  own 
illegitimate  son."  At  this  revelation,  ably  and  feelingly 
introduced  by  Counsellor  Martly,  the  sensation  was,  of 
course,  immense,  and  being  in  Ireland,  a  gallery  came 
down  just  then  and  the  coup  de  theatre  was  perfect. 
Many  tears  were  shed ;  the  public  was  moved ;  the 
plaintiff  still  more  so.  For  it  is  not  often  that  a  man, 
who  has  passed  for  an  orphan  all  his  life,  can  plant  a 
writ  and  reap  a  parent.  '•  Japhet  in  search  of  a  Father  " 
should  have  wandered  about  serving  writs.  The  jury 
either  saw  that  the  relationship  was  irrelevant  in  a  ques- 
tion so  broad  and  civic,  or  else  they  were  fathers  of 
another  stamp,  and  disapproved  of  tender  parents  who 
disown  their  offspring  for  twenty-four  years,  and  then 
lock  them  up  for  mad,  and  only  claim  kindred  in  court 
to  mitigate  damages.  At  all  events  they  found  for  Mr. 
Mathew,  with  damages  one  thousand  pounds.  All  this, 
says  Dr.  Eushnan,  was  utterly  impossible.  Well,  the 
impossibility  in  question  disguised  itself  as  fact,  and 
went  through  the  hollow  form  of  taking  place,  upon  the 
11th,  12th,  and  13th  December,  1851,  and  the  myth  is 
recorded  in  the  journals,  and  the  authorized  report  by 
Elrington,  jun.,  and  W.  P.  Carr,  barristers-at-law,  is  pub- 
lished in  what  may  be  an  air  bubble,  but  looks  like  a  pam- 
phlet by  M'Glashan,  50  Upper  Sackville  Street,  Dublin, 
But  I  rely  mainly  on  the  private  cases,  which  a  large 


12  COllEESPONDENCE   ELICITED   BY   THE 

correspondence  with  strangers,  and  searching  inquiry 
amongst  my  acquaintances,  have  revealed  to  me  ;  unfor- 
tunately these  are  nearly  al\va3's  accompanied  with  a 
stipulation  of  secrecy ;  so  terrible,  so  ineradicable,  is  the 
stigma.  "  Hall  v.  Semple "  clearly  adds  its  mite  of 
proof  that  certiticates  of  insanity  are  still  given  reck- 
lessly :  but  to  show  you  how  strong  I  am,  I  do  not  rely 
at  all  on  disputable  cases  like  Nottidge,  Ruck,  and 
Leech ;  though  in  the  two  latter  of  these  cases  the  press 
leaned  strongly  against  the  insanity  of  the  prisoners, 
and  surely  the  press  is  less  open  to  prejudice  in  this 
matter  than  Dr.  Bushnan  is,  who  dates  his  confident  con- 
jectures from  a  madhouse.  It  seems  I  have  related  in 
"  Hard  Cash  "  that  in  one  asylum  (not  Dr.  Wycherley's), 
when  Alfred  Hardie  went  to  complain  to  a  visitor,  a 
keeper  interfered  and  said,  "  Take  care,  sir,  he  is  dan- 
gerous." And  this  1  then  and  there  call  a  formula,  one 
out  of  many.  "  Dreamer,"  says  Dr.  Bushnan,  "  there 
are  no  such  things  as  formulae  in  madhouses  ;  and  no 
interference  between  patient  and  inspector  is  i^ossible, 
for  there  are  none  in  my  asylum,  and  therefore  there 
can  be  none  in  any  other."     Oh,  logic  of  psychological  ! 

Mr.  Drummond,  in  a  debate  on  lunacy,  testiiied  as 
follows:  "Now  the  honorable  gentleman  had  remarked 
that  it  was  very  easy  for  persons  in  those  establishments 
who  had  a  complaint  to  make,  to  make  it.  Was  it  really 
so  ?  (Hear,  hear.)  He  thought  otherwise.  He  could 
only  say  that,  whenever  he  had  visited  an  asylum,  and 
went  up  to  a  lunatic  who  had  stated  that  he  had  a 
ground  of  complaint,  some  keeper  immediately  evinced 
an  unusual  interest  in  his  personal  welfare,  and  cau- 
tioned him,  saying,  '  Take  care,  sir,  he  is  a  very  dan- 
gerous man.'     (Hear.) " 

The  length  of  this  letter,  which  after  all  but  skims  the 
matter,  arises  out  of  the  importance  of  the  subject,  and 


FIRST   EDITION   OF    "HARD   CASH."  13 

the  nature  of  all  argument  based  on  evidence.  It  takes 
but  a  few  lines  to  make  many  bold  assertions,  and  to 
challenge  Mr.  Reade  to  prove  them  false.  But  the 
Eeadian  proofs  cannot  be  so  compressed.  ^^  Phis  negabit 
in  una,  hard  iinus  doctor,  quam  ceiitum  docti  in  centum 
annis  probai-erint."  I  conclude  by  begging  you  to  find 
space  for  the  following  extract  from  a  respectable 
journal.  I  have  many  such  extracts  in  my  London 
house  :  this  one  is  a  fair  representative  of  the  press,  and 
of  its  convictions  and  expressions  at  the  time  when  it 
issued.  Extract.  —  "  Here  are  two  cases  [Mrs.  Turner 
and  'Mr.  Leech] :  "We  have  before  us  the  particulars  of 
a  third,  but  we  are  not,  unfortunately,  in  a  condition  to 
publish  the  names.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  an  unfortunate 
gentleman  who  had  been  suffering  from  bodily  disorder 
which  finally  affected  his  brain,  but  who  was  not  mad, 
was  incarcerated  in  one  of  those  horrid  dens  which  are 
called  private  lunatic  asylums  ;  and  there  confined  for 
months.  By  his  own  account  he  was  treated  with  the 
greatest  cruelty,  strapped  down  to  a  bed  with  broad 
bands  of  webbing,  and  kept  there  till  it  was  supposed  he 
was  dying.  The  result  we  will  state  in  the  sufferer's 
own  words  :  *  My  back,  from  lying  in  one  constrained 
posture,  was  a  mass  of  ulcerated  and  sloughing  sores  ; 
my  right  hand  was  swollen  enormously,  and  useless ; 
and  two  fingers  of  the  left  hand  were  permanently  con- 
tracted, and  the  joints  destroyed.  I  also  lost  several 
front  teeth.'  This  poor  man  at  last  obtained  his  liberty, 
and  applied  to  the  commissioners  for  redress.  Their 
letter  in  reply  is  now  before  us.  The  commissioners 
merely  say  that,  although  they  do  not  in  any  degree 
impugn  the  integrity  of  the  complainant's  statements, 
they  are  not  of  opinion  that  inquiry  would  answer  any 
good  purpose.  They  add,  however,  that,  '  in  order  to 
mark  their  opinion  on  the  suVjject  they  have  granted  Mr. 


14  CORRESPONDENCE   ELICITED   BY   THE 

a  license  provisionally  for  the  limited  period  of 


four  months  only,  and  that  the  renewal  will  depend  upon 
the  condition  and  management  of  his  establishment 
being  entirely  satisfactory  in  the  mean  time.'  [As  if 
any  great  criminal  would  not  undertake  to  behave  better 
or  more  cautiously  if,  after  detecting  him  by  a  miracle, 
we  Avere  weak  enough  to  bribe  him  to  more  skilful 
hypocrisy  by  the  promise  of  impunity.  —  c.  R.J  Poor 
consolation  this  for  all  the  misery  the  wretched  sufferer 
had  undergone  !  Here,  then,  are  three  cases  following 
one  upon  the  other  in  rapid  succession.  How  many 
remain  behind  of  which  we  know  nothing  ?  The  fact 
would  appear  to  be  that  under  existing  arrangements 
any  English  man  or  woman  may  without  much  difficulty 
be  incarcerated  in  a  private  lunatic  asylum  when  not 
deprived  of  reason.  If  actually  deprived  of  reason  when 
first  confined,  patients  may  be  retained  in  duress  when 
their  cure  is  perfected,  and  they  ought  to  be  released." 
I  am,  etc., 
The  Author  of  "  Very  Hard  Cash." 
Magdalen  Collegk,  Oxford,  October  23,  18G3. 

To  this  letter  I  hear  Dr.  Bushnan  has  replied  down  in 
the  country.  By  this,  and  by  his  not  sending  me  a  copy, 
may  I  not  infer  he  prefers  having  it  all  his  own  way  in 
the  neighborhood  of  his  asylum  to  encountering  me  again 
before  the  nation  ? 

The  extract  quoted  above  is,  I  believe,  from  the  Times, 
and  was  accompanied  by  an  admirable  letter  of  three 
columns  thus  entitled :  — 

Lunatic  Asylums  and  the  Lunacy  Laws. 
{By  a  Physician.) 

This  honest  inquirers  should  read,  and  also  the  news- 
paper reports  of  false  imprisonment  and  cruelty,  during 


FIRST   EDITION   OF   "HARD   CASH."  15 

the  last  twelve  years,  and  the  contemporaneous  com. 
ments  of  the  press  —  before  deciding  to  overrate  my 
imaginative  powers,  and  underrate  my  sincerity,  and  my 
patient,  laborious  industry. 

In  January,  1870,  the  editor  of  the  Pall  Mall  Gazette 
drew  attention  to  the  fact  that  several  lunatics  had  died 
of  broken  ribs  in  various  asylums,  and  that  the  attend- 
ants had  furnished  no  credible  solution  of  the  myster}'. 
This  elicited  the  following  letter  from  the  author  of 
"  Hard  Cash  "  :  — 

How  LuxATics'  Ribs  get  Broken. 
To  the  Editor  of  the  Pall  Mall  Gazette. 

Sir,  —  The  Pall  Mall  Gazette,  January  15,  deals  with 
an  important  question,  "  the  treatment  of  lunatics,"  and 
inquires,  inter  alia,  how  Santa  Xistri  came  to  have  his 
breast-bone  and  eight  ribs  fractured  at  Hanwell;  and 
how  other  patients  have  died  at  the  same  place  of  simi- 
lar injuries;  and  how  ^Yilliam  Wilson  came  to  have 
twelve  ribs  broken  the  other  day  at  the  Lancaster 
County  Asylum.  The  question  is  grave;  the  more  so, 
that,  by  every  principle  of  statistics,  scores  of  ribs  must 
be  broken,  one  or  two  at  a  time,  and  nobody  the  wiser, 
under  a  system  Avhich  rises  periodically  to  such  high 
figures  of  pulverization,  and  so  lets  in  the  faint  light  of 
an  occasional  inquest,  conducted  by  credulity  in  a  very 
atmosphere  of  mendacity.  I  have  precise  information, 
applicable  to  these  recent  cases,  but  not  derived  from 
them,  and  ask  leave  to  relate  the  steps  by  which  the 
truth  came  to  me. 

On  the  2d  January,  1851,  Barnes,  a  lunatic,  died  at 
Peckham  House  with  an  arm  and  four  ribs  broken.  The 
people   of    the    asylum   stuck    manfully   together,   and 


16  CORRESPONDENCE   ELICITED   BY    THE 

agreed  to  know  nothing  about  it;  and  justice  would 
have  been  baffled  entirely,  but  for  Donnelly,  an  insane 
patient  —  he  revealed  that  Hill,  a  keeper,  had  broken 
the  man's  bones.  Hill  was  tried  at  the  Central  Criminal 
Court,  and  convicted  of  manslaughter  on  Donnelly's  sole 
evidence,  the  people  of  the  asylum  maintaining  an  obdu- 
rate silence  to  the  end.  About  1858,  I  think,  a  lunatic 
patient  died  suddenly,  with  his  breast-bone  and  eight 
ribs  broken,  which  figures  please  compare  with  Santa 
Nistri's.  As  it  had  taken  a  keeper  to  break  the  five 
bones  of  Barnes,  nobody  believed  that  accident  had 
broken  the  nine  bones  of  Seeker  —  that,  I  think,  was 
the  victim's  name ;  but  this  time  the  people  of  the 
asylum  had  it  all  their  own  way ;  they  stuck  manfully 
together,  stifled  truth,  and  baffled  justice.  (See  the 
Ninth  Report  of  the  Commissioners  in  Lunacy,  p.  25.) 

Late  in  July,  1858,  there  was  a  ball  at  Colney  Hatch. 
The  press  were  invited,  and  came  back  singing  the 
praises  of  that  blest  retreat.  What  order !  What  gay- 
ety  !     What  non-restraint ! 

O  fortunatos  nimium  sua  si  bona  norint 
Lunaticos. 

Next  week  or  so  Owen  Swift,  one  of  the  patients  in  that 
blest  retreat,  died  of  the  following  injuries  :  breast-bone 
and  eleven  ribs  broken,  liver  ruptured. 

Varney,  a  patient  —  whose  evidence  reads  like  that  of 
a  very  clear-headed  gentleman,  if  you  compare  it  with 
the  doctor's  that  follows  it  —  deposed  to  this  effect: 
Thursday  at  dinner-time  Swift  was  in  good  health  and 
spirits,  and  more  voluble  than  Slater,  one  of  the  keepers, 
approved.  Slater  said,  "Hold  your  noise."  Swift  bab- 
bled on.  Slater  threw  the  poor  man  down,  and  dragged 
him  into  the  padded  room,  which  room  then  resounded 
for  several  minutes  with  "a  great  noise  of  knocking  and 


FIRST   EDITION   OF   "HARD   CASH."  17       ^ 

bumping  about"  and  with  the  sufferer's  cries  of  agony 
till  these  last  were  choked,  and  there  Avas  silence.  Swift 
was  not  seen  again  till  Saturday  morning ;  and  then,  in 
presence  of  Varney,  he  accused  Slater  to  his  face  of  hav- 
ing maltreated  hira,  and  made  his  words  good  by  dying 
that  night  or  the  very  next  morning. 

This  evidence  was  borne  out  by  the  state  of  the  body 
(fractured  sternum,  and  eleven  fractured  ribs),  and  not 
rebutted  by  any  direct,  or,  indeed,  rational  testimony. 
Yet  the  accused  was  set  free.  But  the  press  and  the 
country  took  this  decision  ill.  A  Middlesex  magistrate 
wrote  to  the  Times,  August  21,  1860,  to  remonstrate,  and 
drew  attention  to  a  previous  idiotic  verdict  in  a  similar 
ease.  And  whereas  the  medical  man  of  the  establish- 
ment had  assisted  to  clear  the  homicide  by  his  own  igno- 
rance of  how  bones  can  be  broken  wholesale  without 
proportionate  bruises  or  flesh  wounds,  a  correspondent 
of  the  Daily  Telegraph  enlightened  his  professional 
/gnorance  on  that  head,  and  gave  the  public  the  only 
adequate  solution  of  Owen  Swift's  death,  which  had  been 
either  spoken  or  written  up  to  that  day. 

That  one  adequate  solution  was  the  true  one.  —  Daily 
Telegraph,  August  9,  1860. 

Time,  1862.  Place,  Hanwell.  Matthew  Geoghegan,  a 
patient,  refused  to  go  to  bed.  Jones,  a  keeper,  threw 
him  down,  and  kicked  him  several  times ;  then  got  a 
stick  and  beat  him  ;  then  got  a  fire-shovel  and  beat 
him  ;  then  jumped  on  his  body  ;  then  walked  up  and 
down  his  body  ;  of  which  various  injuries  the  man  died, 
not  immediately,  but  yet  so  speedily  that  the  cuts  and 
bruises  were  still  there  to  show  what  had  killed  him. 

Bone,  a  bricklayer,  and  eye-witness  of  the  homicide, 
swore  to  the  above  facts.  Linch,  Bone's  laborer,  another 
eye-witness,  swore  to  the  same  facts.  The  resident  engi- 
neer swore  that  Bone  and  Linch  were  both  true  men. 
2 


18  CORRESPONDENCE   ELICITED   BY  THE 

Dr.  Jephson  had  found  the  man  Avith  bruises,  one  of 
which,  on  his  abdomen,  had  been  caused  by  the  heel  of 
a  boot.  Per  contra,  a  doctor  was  found  to  swear  as 
follows:  ''I  swear  that  I  tltink  he  died  of  pleuro-pneu- 
monia.  I  swear  that  I  do7i't  knoiv  whether  his  external 
injuries  contributed  to  his  death." 

And  upon  this,  though  no  pleuro-pneumonia  could  be 
shown  in  the  mutilated  body,  though  Bone  and  Linch, 
disinterested  witnesses,  deposed  to  plain  facts,  and  the 
doctor  merely  delivered  a  wild  and  improbable  conjec- 
ture, and  then  swore  to  his  own  ignorance  on  the  point 
in  doubt,  if  doubt  there  could  be  —  yet  this  jury,  with 
their  eyes  to  confirm  what  their  ears  heard  sworn,  and 
their  ears  to  confirm  what  their  eyes  saw  written  on  the 
mangled  corpse,  actually  delivered  the  following  verdict : 
"  Deceased  died  after  receiving  certain  injuries  from 
external  violence  ;  but  whether  the  death  was  occasioned 
by  natural  causes,  or  by  such  violence,  there  was  not 
sufficient  evidence  to  show."  They  then  relieved  their 
consciences  in  the  drollest  way.  They  turned  round  on 
Bone  and  Linch,  and  reprimanded  them  severely  for  not 
having  interfered  to  prevent  the  cruelty,  which  they 
themselves  were  shielding  in  the  present  and  fostering 
in  the  future  by  as  direct  a  lie  as  ever  twelve  honest 
men  delivered.  Suppose  the  bricklayer  and  his  man  had 
replied,  "Why,  look  ye,  gentlemen;  we  came  into  the 
madhouse  to  lay  bricks,  not  to  do  justice.  But  you  came 
into  the  madhouse  to  do  justice.  We  should  have  lost 
our  bread  if  we  had  interfered  ;  but  you  could  have 
afforded  to  play  the  men  —  and  didn't." 

I  enclose  herewith  the  evidence  of  the  bricklayers,  and 
the  sworn  conjectures  of  the  doctor,  in  re  Geoghegan ; 
also  the  evidence  of  the  doctor,  and  of  the  comparatively 
clear-headed  lunatic,  in  re  Swift. 

About  this  time  my  researches  into  the  abuses  of  pri- 


FIRST    EDITION    OF    "HARD   CASH."  19 

vate  asyla  (which  abuses  are  quite  distinct  from  the 
subject  in  hand)  brought  me  into  contact  with  multifarious 
facts,  and  with  a  higher  class  of  evidence  than  the  official 
inquirers  permit  themselves  to  hear.  They  rely  too 
much  on  medical  attendants  and  other  servants  of  an 
asylum,  whose  interest  it  is  to  veil  ugly  truths  and 
sprinkle  hells  with  rose-water.  I,  on  the  contrary,  ex- 
amined a  number  of  ex-patients  who  had  never  been  too 
mad  to  observe,  and  ex-attendants,  male  and  female,  who 
had  gone  into  other  lines  of  life,  and  could  now  afford  to 
reveal  the  secrets  of  those  dark  places. 

The  ex-keepers  were  all  agreed  in  this  —  that  the 
keepers  know  how  to  break  a  patient's  bones  without 
bruising  the  skin ;  and  that  the  doctors  have  been  duped 
again  and  again  by  them.  To  put  it  in  my  own  words, 
the  bent  knees,  big  bluntish  bones,  and  clothed,  can  be 
applied  with  terrible  force,  yet  not  leave  their  mark  upon 
the  skin  of  the  victim.  The  refractory  patient  is  thrown 
down  and  the  keeper  walks  up  and  down  him  on  his 
knees,  and  even  jumps  on  his  body,  knees  downwards, 
until  he  is  completely  cowed.  Should  a  bone  or  two  be 
broken  in  this  process,  it  does  not  much  matter  to  the 
keeper:  a  lunatic  complaining  of  internal  injui-y  is  not 
listened  to.  He  is  a  being  so  full  of  illusions  that  nobody 
believes  in  any  unseen  injury  he  prates  about. 

In  these  words,  sir,  you  have  the  key  to  the  death  of 
Barnes,  of  Seeker,  if  that  was  the  man's  name  ;  and  of 
other  victims  recorded  by  the  commissioners,  of  Nistri, 
and  of  William  Wilson,  at  Lancaster. 

I  hope  this  last  inquiry  has  not  been  weakly  abandoned. 
It  is  a  very  shocking  thing  that  both  brute  force  and 
traditional  cunning  should  be  employed  against  persons 
of  weak  understanding,  and  that  they  should  be  so  often 
massacred,  so  seldom  avenged. 

Something  might  be  done  if  the  people  in  Lancashire 
would  take  the  matter  seriously. 


20  CORRESPONDENCE   ELICITED   BY   THE 

The  first  thing  they  should  do  is  to  inquire  whether 
the  keeper  who  killed  a  stunted  imbecile  by  internal 
injuries  in  the  Lancaster  Asylum,  May,  1863,  is  still  in 
that  asj'^lum.     See  Public  Opinion,  November  19,  1863. 

The  next  step  is  to  realize  and  act  upon  the  two  fol- 
lowing maxims :  — 

First,  it  is  the  sure  sign  of  a  fool  to  accept  an  inade- 
quate solution  of  undeniable  facts. 

Secondly,  to  advance  an  inadequate  solution  of  facts 
so  indisputable  as  twelve  broken  ribs  is  a  sign  either  of 
guilt  or  guilty  connivance. 

Honest  men  in  Lancashire  should  inquire  who  first 
put  forward  some  stupid,  impudent  falsehood  to  account 
for  the  tAvelve  broken  ribs  of  Wilson.  The  first  liar  was 
probably  the  homicide,  or  an  accomplice. 

Just  to  prove  the  importance  I  attach  to  this  inquiry, 
permit  me,  through  your  columns,  to  offer  a  reward  of 
a  hundred  pounds  to  any  person  or  persons  who  will  give 
such  evidence  as  may  lead  to  the  conviction  of  the  person 
or  persons  who  have  killed  William  Wilson  by  kneeling 
on  him,  by  walking  knees  downwards  upon  him,  and 
jumping  knees  downwards  upon  him. 

It  is  interest  that  closes  men's  mouths  in  these  dark 
places.  We  must  employ  the  same  instrument  to  open 
them  :  it  is  our  only  chance. 

I  am,  sir,  yours  very  faithfully, 

Charles   Reade. 

2  Albert  Terrace,  Knigiitsbridge, 
January  17,  1870. 


FIRST  EDITION   OF   "HARD   CASH."  21 


NOTICE,  1863. 

I  REQUEST  all  those  persons  in  various  ranks  of  life  — 
who  by  letter  or  vlvd  voce  have  during  the  last  five  years 
told  me  of  sane  persons  incarcerated  or  detained  in  private 
asylums,  and  of  other  abuses  —  to  communicate  with  me 
by  letter.  I  also  invite  fresh  communications:  and 
desii-e  it  to  be  known  that  this  great  question  did  not 
begin  with  me  in  the  pages  of  a  novel,  neither  shall  it 
end  there ;  for,  where  justice  and  humanity  are  both 
concerned,  there  — 

Sirt  sans  faict 
^  iBieu  ticplatt 


HAED    CASH. 


PROLOGUE. 


In  a  snowy  villa,  with  a  sloping  lawn,  just  outside  the 
great  commercial  seaport,  Barkington,  there  lived  a  few 
years  ago  a  happy  family.  A  lady,  middle-aged,  but  still 
charming,  two  young  friends  of  hers,  and  a  periodical 
visitor. 

The  lady  was  Mrs.  Dodd ;  her  occasional  visitor  was 
her  husband ;  her  friends  were  her  son  Edward,  aged 
twenty,  and  her  daughter  Julia,  nineteen  ;  the  fruit  of  a 
misalliance. 

Mrs.  Dodd  was  originally  Miss  Fountain,  a  young  lady 
well  born,  high-bred,  and  a  denizen  of  the  fashionable 
world.  Under  a  strange  concurrence  of  circumstances 
she  coolly  married  the  captain  of  an  East  Indiaman. 
The  deed  done,  and  with  her  eyes  open,  for  she  was  not, 
to  say,  in  love  with  him,  she  took  a  judicious  line;  and 
kept  it;  no  hankering  after  Mayfair,  no  talking  about 
Lord  "■  This "  and  Lady  "  That,"  to  commercial  gentle- 
women; no  amphibiousness.  She  accepted  her  place  in 
society,  reserving  the  right  to  embellish  it  with  the 
graces  she  had  gathered  in  a  higher  sphere.  In  her 
home,  and  in  her  person,  she  was  little  less  elegant  than 
a  countess ;  yet  nothing  more  than  a  merchant-captain's 
wife :   and  she  reared  that  commander's  children,  in  a 

23 


24  HARD   CASH. 

suburban  villa,  with  the  manners  which  adorn  a  palace. 
When  they  happen  to  be  there.  She  had  a  bugbear : 
Slang.  Could  not  endure  the  smart  technicalities  cur- 
rent ;  their  multitude  did  not  overpower  her  distaste  ; 
she  called  them  "  jargon ; "  "  slang "  was  too  coarse  a 
word  for  her  to  apply  to  slang :  she  excluded  many 
a  good  ''racy  idiom  "  along  with  the  real  offenders;  and 
monosyllables  in  general  ran  some  risk  of  having  to 
show  their  passports.  If  this  was  pedantry,  it  went  no 
further;  she  was  open,  free,  and  youthful  with  her 
young  pupils  ;  and  had  the  art  to  put  herself  on  their 
level :  often,  when  they  were  quite  young,  she  would 
feign  infantine  ignorance,  in  order  to  hunt  trite  truth  in 
couples  with  them,  and  detect,  by  joint  experiment,  that 
rainbows  cannot,  or  else  will  not,  be  walked  into,  nor 
Jack-o'-lantern  be  gathered  like  a  cowslip ;  and  that, 
dissect  we  the  vocal  dog  —  whose  hair  is  so  like  a  lamb's 
—  never  so  skilfully,  no  fragment  of  palpable  bark,  no 
sediment  of  tangible  squeak,  remains  inside  him  to  bless 
the  inquisitive  little  operator,  etc.  When  they  advanced 
from  these  elementary  branches  to  languages,  history, 
tapestry,  and  "  what  not,"  she  managed  still  to  keep  by 
their  side  learning  with  them,  not  just  hearing  them 
lessons  down  from  the  top  of  a  high  tower  of  maternity. 
She  never  checked  their  curiosity ;  but  made  herself 
share  it ;  never  gave  them,  as  so  many  parents  do,  a 
white-lying  answer :  wooed  their  affections  with  subtle 
though  innocent  art ;  thawed  their  reserve,  obtained  their 
love,  and  retained  their  respect.  Briefly,  a  female  Ches- 
terfield ;  her  husband's  lover  after  marriage,  though  not 
before ;  and  the  mild  monitress,  the  elder  sister,  the 
favorite  companion  and  bosom  friend,  of  both  her  chil- 
dren. 

They  were  remarkably  dissimilar ;  and,  perhaps  I  may 
be  allowed  to  preface  the  narrative  of  their  adventures 


HARD   CASH.  25 

by  a  delineation ;  as  in  country  churches  an  individual 
pipes  the  key-note,  and  the  tune  comes  raging  after. 

Edward,  then,  had  a  great  calm  eye,  that  was  always 
looking  folk  full  in  the  face,  mildly ;  his  countenance 
comely  and  manly,  but  no  more ;  too  square  for  Apollo; 
but  sufficed  for  John  Bull.  His  figure  it  was  that 
charmed  the  curious  observer  of  male  beauty.  He  was 
five  feet  ten  ;  had  square  shoulders,  a  deep  chest,  mascu- 
line flank,  small  foot,  high  instep.  To  crown  all  this,  a 
head,  overflowed  by  ripples  of  dark-brown  hair,  sat  with 
heroic  grace  upon  his  solid  white  throat,  like  some  glossy 
falcon  new  lighted  on  a  Parian  column. 

This  young  gentleman  had  decided  qualities,  positive 
and  negative.  He  could  walk  up  to  a  five-barred  gate, 
and  clear  it,  alighting  on  the  other  side  like  a  fallen 
feather ;  could  row  all  day,  and  then  dance  all  night ; 
could  fling  a  cricket-ball  a  hundred  and  six  yards ;  had  a 
lathe  and  a  tool-box,  and  would  make  you  in  a  trice 
a  chair,  a  table,  a  doll,  a  nutcracker,  or  any  other  mov- 
able, useful,  or  the  very  reverse.  And  could  not  learn 
his  lessons,  to  save  his  life. 

His  sister  Julia  was  not  so  easy  to  describe.  Her 
figure  was  tall,  lithe,  and  serpentine ;  her  hair  the  color 
of  a  horse-chestnut  fresh  from  its  pod ;  her  ears  tiny  and 
shell-like,  her  eyelashes  long  and  silky ;  her  mouth  small 
when  grave,  large  when  smiling ;  her  eyes  pure  hazel  by 
day,  and  tinged  with  a  little  violet  by  night.  But  in 
jotting  down  these  details,  true  as  they  are,  I  seem  to 
myself  to  be  painting  fire  with  a  little  snow  and  saffron 
mixed  on  a  marble  palette.  There  is  a  beauty  too  spirit- 
ual to  be  chained  in  a  string  of  items;  and  Julia's  fair 
features  were  but  the  china  vessel  that  brimmed  over 
with  the  higher  loveliness  of  her  souL  Her  essential 
charm  was,  what  shall  I  say  ?     Transparence. 

You  would  have  said  her  very  body  thought. 


2Q  HARD   CASH. 

Modesty,  intelligence,  and,  above  all,  enthusiasm,  shone 
through  her,  and  out  of  her,  and  made  her  an  airy,  fiery, 
household  joy.     Briefly,  an  incarnate  sunbeam. 

This  one  could  leavn  her  lessons  with  unreasonable 
rapidity,  and  until  Edward  went  to  Eton,  would  insist 
upon  learning  his  into  the  bargain,  partly  with  the  fond 
notion  of  coaxing  him  on ;  as  the  company  of  a  swift 
horse  incites  a  slow  one ;  partly  because  she  was  deter- 
mined to  share  his  every  trouble,  if  she  could  not  remove 
it.  A  little  choleric,  and  indeed  downright  prone  to  that 
more  generous  indignation  which  fires  at  the  wrongs  of 
others.  When  heated  with  emotion,  or  sentiment,  she 
lowered  her  voice,  instead  of  raising  it  like  the  rest 
of  us ;  she  called  her  mother  "  Lady  Placid,"  and  her 
brother  "  Sir  Imperturbable."  And  so  much  for  out- 
lines. 

Mrs.  Dodd  laid  aside  her  personal  ambition  with  her 
maiden  name  :  but  she  looked  high  for  her  children. 
Perhaps  she  was  all  the  more  ambitious  for  them,  that 
they  had  no  rival  aspirant  in  Mrs.  Dodd.  She  educated 
Julia  herself  from  first  to  last :  but  with  true  feminine 
distrust  of  her  power  to  mould  a  lordling  of  creation, 
she  sent  Edward  to  Eton,  at  nine.  This  was  slackening 
her  tortoise ;  for  at  Eton  is  no  female  master,  to  coax 
dry  knowledge  into  a  slow  head.  However,  he  made 
good  progress  in  two  branches  —  aquatics  and  cricket. 

After  Eton  came  the  choice  of  a  profession.  His 
mother  recognized  but  four ;  and  these  her  discreet 
ambition  speedily  sifted  down  to  two.  For  military 
heroes  are  shot  now  and  then,  however  pacific  the  cent- 
ury ;  and  naval  ones  drowned.  She  would  never  expose 
her  Edward  to  this  class  of  accidents.  Glory  by  all 
means  ;  glory  by  the  pail ;  but  safe  glory,  please  ;  or  she 
would  none  of  it.  Remained  the  church  and  the  bar : 
and,  within  these  reasonable  limits,  she  left  her  dear  boy 


HARD   CASH.  27 

free  as  air;  and  not  even  hurried;  there  was  plenty  of 
time  to  choose :  he  must  pass  through  the  university  to 
either.  This  last  essential  had  been  settled  about  a 
twelvemonth,  and  the  very  day  for  his  going  to  Oxford 
was  at  hand,  when  one  morning  Mr.  Edward  formally 
cleared  his  throat :  it  was  an  unusual  act,  and  drew  the 
ladies'  eyes  upon  him.  He  followed  the  solemnity  up 
by  delivering  calmly  and  ponderously  a  connected  dis- 
course, which  astonished  them  by  its  length  and  purport. 
"Mamma,  dear,  let  us  look  the  thing  in  the  face. 
(This  was  his  favorite  expression,  as  well  as  habit.)  I 
have  been  thinking  it  quietly  over  for  the  last  six  months. 
Why  send  me  to  the  university  ?  I  shall  be  out  of 
place  there.  It  will  cost  you  a  lot  of  money,  and  no 
good.  Xow,  you  take  a  fool's  advice  :  don't  you  waste 
your  money  and  papa's  sending  a  dull  fellow  like  me  to 
Oxford.  I  did  bad  enough  at  Eton.  Make  me  an 
engineer,  or  something.  If  you  were  not  so  fond  of  me, 
and  I  of  you,  I'd  say  send  me  to  Canada,  with  a  pickaxe ; 
you  know  I  have  got  no  head-piece." 

Mrs.  Dodd  had  sat  aghast,  casting  Edward  deprecating 
looks  at  the  close  of  each  ponderous  sentence,  but  too 
polite  to  interrupt  a  soul,  even  a  son  talking  nonsense. 
She  now  assured  him  she  could  afford  very  well  to  send 
him  to  Oxford,  and  begged  leave  to  remind  him  that  he 
was  too  good  and  too  sensible  to  run  up  bills  there,  like 
the  young  men  who  did  not  really  love  their  parents. 
"Then,  as  for  learning,  why,  we  must  be  reasonable  in 
our  turn.  Do  the  best  you  can,  love.  We  know  you 
have  no  great  turn  for  the  classics  ;  we  do  not  expect 
you  to  take  high  honors  like  young  Mr.  Hardie  ;  besides, 
that  might  make  your  head  ache  :  he  has  sad  headaches, 
his  sister  told  Julia.  But,  my  dear,  an  university  educa- 
tion is  indispensable  ;  do  but  see  how  the  signs  of  it 
follow  a  gentleman  through  life,  to  say  nothing  of  the 


28  HARD   CASH. 

valuable  acquaintances  and  lasting  friendships  he  makes 
there  :  even  those  few  distinguished  persons  who  have 
risen  in  the  world  without  it,  have  openly  regretted  the 
want,  and  have  sent  their  children  :  and  that  says  volumes 
to  me." 

"Why,  Edward,  it  is  the  hall-mark  of  a  gentleman," 
said  Julia,  eagerly.  Mrs.  Dodd  caught  a  flash  of  her 
daughter:  "And  my  silver  shall  never  be  without  it," 
said  she,  warmly.  She  added  presently,  in  her  usual 
placid  tone,  "  I  beg  your  pardon,  my  dears,  I  ought  to 
have  said  my  gold."  With  this  she  kissed  Edward  ten- 
derly on  the  brow,  and  drew  an  embrace  and  a  little 
grunt  of  resignation  from  him.  "  Take  the  dear  boy  and 
show  him  our  purchases,  love  !  "  said  Mrs.  Dodd,  with  a 
little  gentle  accent  of  half  reproach,  scarce  perceptible 
to  a  male  ear. 

"Oh,  yes;"  and  Julia  rose  and  tripped  to  the  door. 
There  she  stood  a  moment,  half  turned,  with  arching 
neck,  coloring  Avith  innocent  pleasure.  "  Come,  darling. 
Oh,  you  good-for-nothing  thing  !  " 

The  pair  found  a  little  room  hard  by,  paved  with  china, 
crockery,  glass,  baths,  kettles,  etc. 

"  There,  sir.  Look  them  in  the  face  ;  and  us,  if  you 
pan." 

"Well,  you  know,  I  had  no  idea  you  had  been  and 
bought  a  cart-load  of  things  for  Oxford."  His  eye 
brightened ;  he  whipped  out  a  two-foot  rule,  and  began 
to  calculate  the  cubic  contents.  "  I'll  turn  to  and  make 
the  cases,  Ju." 

The  ladies  had  their  way ;  the  cases  were  made  and 
despatched ;  and  one  morning  the  bus  came  for  Edward, 
and  stopped  at  the  gate  of  Albion  Villa.  At  this  sight 
mother  and  daughter  both  turned  their  heads  quickly 
away  by  one  independent  impulse,  and  set  a  bad  example. 


HARD   CASH.  29 

Apparently  neither  of  them  liad  calculated  on  this 
paltry  little  detail ;  they  were  game  for  theoretical  de- 
partures;  to  impalpable  universities:  and  "an  air-drawn 
bus,  a  bus  of  the  mind,"  would  not  have  dejected  for  a 
moment  their  lofty  Spartan  souls  on  glory  bent;  safe 
glory.  But  here  was  a  bus  of  wood,  and  Edward  going 
bodily  away  inside  it.  The  victim  kissed  them,  threw 
up  his  portmanteau  and  bag,  and  departed  serene  as 
Italian  skies  ;  the  victors  watched  the  pitiless  bus  quite 
out  of  sight ;  then  went  up  to  his  bedroom,  all  disordered 
by  packing,  and,  on  the  very  face  of  it,  vacant ;  and  sat 
down  on  his  little  bed  intertwining  and  weeping. 

Edward  was  received  at  Exeter  College,  as  young  gen- 
tlemen are  received  at  college;  and  nowhere  else,  I  hope, 
for  the  credit  of  Christendom.  They  showed  him  a  hole 
in  the  roof,  and  called  it  an  "Attic;"  grim  pleasantry! 
being  a  puncture  in  the  modern  Athens.  They  inserted 
him ;  told  him  what  hour  at  the  top  of  the  morning  he 
must  be  in  chapel ;  and  left  him  to  find  out  his  other  ills. 
His  cases  were  welcomed  like  Christians,  by  the  whole 
staircase.  These  undergraduates  abused  one  another's 
crockery  as  their  own :  the  joint  stock  of  breakables 
had  just  dwindled  very  low,  and  Mrs.  Dodd's  bountiful 
contribution  was  a  godsend. 

The  new-comer  soon  found  that  his  views  of  a  learned 
university  had  been  narrow.  Out  of  place  in  it  ?  why, 
he  could  not  have  taken  his  wares  to  a  better  market ; 
the  modern  Athens,  like  the  ancient,  cultivates  muscle 
as  well  as,  mind.  The  captain  of  the  university  eleven 
saw  a  cricket-ball  thrown  all  across  the  ground ;  he  in- 
stantly sent  a  professional  bowler  to  find  out  who  that 
Avas ;  through  the  same  ambassador  the  thrower  was 
invited  to  play  on  club  days ;  and  proving  himself  an 
infallible  catch  and  long  stop,  a  mighty  thrower,  a  swift 


30  HARD  CASH. 

runner,  and  a  steady,  though  not  very  brilliant,  bat,  he 
was,  after  one  or  two  repulses,  actually  adopted  into  the 
■university  eleven.  He  communicated  this  ray  of  glory 
by  letter  to  his  mother  and  sister  with  genuine  delight, 
coldly  and  clumsily  expressed  ;  they  replied  with  feigned 
and  fluent  rapture.  Advancing  steadily  in  that  line  of 
academic  study,  towards  which  his  genius  lay,  he  won  a 
hurdle  race,  and  sent  home  a  little  silver  hurdle ;  and 
soon  after  brought  a  pewter  pot,  with  a  Latin  inscription 
recording  the  victory  at  "Fives"  of  Edward  Dodd:  but 
not  too  arrogantly  ;  for  in  the  centre  of  the  pot  was  this 
device,  "  The  Lord  is  my  illumination."  The  curate  of 
Sandford,  who  pulled  number  six  in  the  Exeter  boat,  left 
Sandford  for  Witney ;  on  this  he  felt  he  could  no 
longer  do  his  college  justice  by  water,  and  his  parish  by 
land,  nor  escape  the  charge  of  pluralism,  preaching  at 
Witney  and  rowing  at  Oxford.  He  fluctuated,  sighed, 
kept  his  Witney,  and  laid  down  his  oar.  Then  Edward 
was  solemnly  weighed  in  his  jersey  and  flannel  trousers, 
and  proving  only  eleven  stone  eight,  whereas  he  had 
been  ungenerously  suspected  of  twelve  stone,^  was  elected 
to  the  vacant  oar  by  acclamation.  He  was  a  picture  in  a 
boat;  and  oh  !  well  pulled,  Six  !  was  a  hearty  ejaculation 
constantly  hurled  at  him  from  the  bank  by  many  men  of 
other  colleges,  and  even  by  the  more  genial  among  the 
cads,  as  the  Exeter  glided  at  ease  down  the  river,  or 
shot  up  it  in  a  race. 

He  was  now  as  much  talked  of  in  the  university  as 
any  man  of  his  college,  except  one.  Singularly  enough, 
that  one  was  his  townsman  ;  but  no  friend  of  his  ;  he 
was  much  Edward's  senior  in  standing,  though  not  in 
age  ;  and  this  is  a  barrier  the  junior  must  not  step  over 
—  without   direct   encouragement  —  at  Oxford.      More- 

1  There  was  at  this  time  a  prejudice  against  weight,  which  has  yielded  to 
experience. 


HARD   CASH.  31 

over,  the  college  was  a  large  one,  and  some  of  "the 
sets"  very  exclusive  :  young  Hardie  was  Doge  of  a  stu- 
dious clique,  and  careful  to  make  it  understood  that  he 
was  a  reading  man  who  boated  and  cricketed  to  avoid 
the  fatigue  of  lounging,  not  a  boatman  or  cricketer  who 
strayed  into  Aristotle  in  the  intervals  of  perspiration. 

His  public  running  since  he  left  Harrow  was  as 
follows  :  the  prize  poem  in  his  fourth  term  :  the  sculls 
in  his  sixth ;  the  Ireland  scholarship  in  his  eighth  (he 
pulled  second  for  it  the  year  before) ;  stroke  of  the 
Exeter  in  his  tenth  ;  and  reckoned  sure  of  a  first  class 
to  consummate  his  twofold  career. 

To  this  young  Apollo,  crowned  with  variegated  laurel, 
Edward  looked  up  from  a  distance.  The  brilliant  creat- 
ure never  bestowed  a  word  on  him  by  land ;  and  by 
water  only  such  observations  as  the  following :  "  Time, 
Six  ! "  "Well  pulled,  Six  ! "  "  Very  well  pulled,  Six !  " 
Except,  by-the-by,  one  race,  when  he  swore  at  him  like 
a  trooper  for  not  being  quick  at  starting.  The  excite- 
ment of  nearly  being  bumped  by  Brasenose  in  the  first 
hundred  yards  was  an  excuse  ;  however,  Hardie  apolo- 
gized as  they  were  dressing  in  the  barge  after  the  race  ; 
but  the  apology  was  so  stiff,  it  did  not  pave  the  way  to 
acquaintance. 

Young  Hardie,  rising  twenty-one,  thought  nothing 
human  worthy  of  reverence  but  intellect.  Invited  to 
dinner,  on  the  same  d^y,  with  the  Emperor  of  Russia, 
and  Avith  Voltaire,  and  with  meek  St.  John,  he  would 
certainly  have  told  the  coachman  to  put  him  down  at 
Voltaire. 

His  quick  eye  detected  Edward's  character ;  but  was 
not  attracted  by  it :  says  he,  to  one  of  his  adherents, 
"  What  a  good-natured  spoon  that  Dodd  is ;  Phoebus, 
what  a  name  ! "  Edward,  on  the  othej*  hand,  praised 
this  brilliant  in  all  his  letters,  and  recorded  his  triumphs 


32  HARD   CASH. 

and  such  of  his  witty  sayings  as  leaked  through  his  own 
set,  to  reinvigorate  mankind.  This  roused  Julia's  ire. 
It  smouldered  through  three  letters  :  but  burst  out  when 
there  was  no  letter,  but  Mrs.  Dodd,  meaning,  Heaven 
knows,  no  harm,  happened  to  say  meekly,  a  propos  of 
Edward t  "You  know,  love,  we  cannot  all  be  young 
Hardies."  —  "  No,  and  thank  Heaven  ! "  said  Julia,  defi- 
antly. "Yes,  mamma,"  she  continued,  in  answer  to  Mrs. 
Dodd's  eyebrow,  which  had  curved ;  "  your  mild  glance 
reads  my  soul ;  I  detest  that  boy."  Mrs.  Dodd  smiled. 
"Are  you  sure  you  know  what  the  word  'detest'  means  ? 
and  what  has  young  Mr.  Hardie  done,  that  you  should 
bestow  so  violent  a  sentiment  on  him  ?  " 

"Mamma,  I  am  Edward's  sister,"  was  the  tragic  reply  ; 
then,  kicking  off  the  buskin  pretty  nimbly,  "  there  !  he 
beats  our  boy  at  everything,  and  ours  sits  quietly  down 
and  admires  him  for  it :  oh  !  how  can  a  man  let  anybody 
or  anything  beat  him  !  I  wouldn't ;  without  a  desperate 
struggle."  She  clenched  her  white  teeth  and  imagined 
the  struggle.  To  be  sure,  she  owned  she  had  never  seen 
this  Mr.  Hardie  ;  but,  after  all,  it  was  only  Jane  Hardie's 
brother,  as  Edward  was  hers.  "  And  would  I  sit  down 
and  let  Jane  beat  me  at  things  ?  never!  never !  never !  I 
couldn't." 

"  Your  friend  to  the  death,  dear ;  was  not  that  your 
expression  ?  " 

"  Oh,  that  was  a  slip  of  the  tongue,  dear  mamma ;  I 
was  off  my  guard.  I  generally  am,  by  the  way.  But 
now  I  am  on  it,  and  propose  an  amendment.  Now  I 
second  it.     Now  I  carry  it." 

"  And  now  let  me  hear  it." 

"She  is  my  friend  till  death  —  or  eclipse;  and  that 
means  until  she  eclipses  me,  of  course."  But  she  added 
softly,  and  with  sudden  gravity,  "Ah  !  Jane  Hardie  has 
a  fault  which  will  always  prevent  her  from  eclipsing 
your  humble  servant  iu  this  wicked  world." 


HARD   CASE.  33 

"  What  is  that  ?  " 

"  She  is  too  good.     jNIuch." 

"Par  exemple /  " 

"  Too  religious." 

"  Oh,  that  is  another  matter." 

'•'For  shame,  mamma!  I  am  glad  to  hear  it:  for  I 
scorn  a  life  of  frivolity  ;  but  then,  again,  I  should  not 
like  to  give  up  everything,  you-  know."  Mrs.  Dodd 
looked  a  little  staggered,  too,  at  so  vast  a  scheme  of 
capitulation.  But  "  everything  "  was  soon  explained  to 
mean  balls,  concerts,  dinner-parties  in  general,  tea-parties 
without  exposition  of  Scripture,  races  and  operas,  cards, 
charades,  and  whatever  else  amuses  society  without  per- 
ceptibly sanctifying  it.  All  these,  by  Julia's  account, 
j\Iiss  Hardie  had  renounced,  and  was  now  denouncing 
(with  the  young  the  latter  verb  treads  on  the  very  heels 
of  the  former).  "  And,  you  know,  she  is  a  district 
visitor." 

This  climax  delivered,  Julia  stopped  short  and  awaited 
the  result. 

IVIrs.  Dodd  heard  it  all  with  quiet  disapproval  and  cool 
incredulity.  She  had  seen  so  many  young  ladies  healed 
of  so  many  young  enthusiasms  by  a  wedding-ring.  But, 
while  she  was  searching  diligently  in  her  mine  of  lady- 
like English  —  mine  with  plenty  of  water  in  it,  begging 
her  pardon  —  for  expressions  to  convey  inoffensively  and 
roundabout  her  conviction  that  Miss  Hardie  was  a  little 
furious  simpleton,  the  post  came  and  swept  the  subject 
away  in  a  moment. 

Two  letters  ;  one  from  Calcutta,  one  from  Oxford. 

They  came  quietly  in  upon  one  salver,  and  were  opened 
and  read  with  pleasurable  interest,  but  without  surprise 
or  misgiving  ;  and  without  the  slightest  foretaste  of  their 
grave  and  singular  consequences. 

Rivers  deep  and  broad  start  from  such  little  springs. 
3 


34  HARD   CASH. 

David's  letter  was  of  unusual  length  for  him.  The 
main  topics  were,  first,  the  date  and  manner  of  his  return 
home.  His  ship,  a  very  old  one,  had  been  condemned  in 
port :  and  he  was  to  sail  a  tine  new  teak-built  vessel, 
the  Agra,  as  far  as  the  Cape ;  where  her  captain,  just 
recovered  from  a  severe  illness,  would  come  on  board 
and  convey  her  and  him  to  England.  In  future,  Dodd 
was  to  command  one  of  the  company's  large  steamers  to 
Alexandria  and  back. 

"  It  is  rather  a  come-down  for  a  sailor,  to  go  straight  ahead 
like  a  wheelbarrow,  in  all  weathers,  with  a  steam-i)ot  and  a 
crew  of  coal-heavers.  But  then  I  shall  not  be  parted  from  my 
sweetheart  sucli  long  dreary  spells  as  I  have  been  these  twenty 
years,  my  dear  love  :  so  is  it  for  me  to  complain  ?  " 

The  second  topic  was  pecuniary ;  the  transfer  of  their 
savings  from  India,  where  interest  was  higher  than  at 
home,  but  the  capital  not  so  secure. 

And  the  third  was  ardent  and  tender  expressions  of 
affection  for  the  wife  and  children  he  adored.  These 
effusions  of  the  heart  had  no  separate  place,  except  in 
my  somewhat  arbitrary  analysis  of  the  honest  sailor's 
letter  ;  they  were  the  under-current. 

Mrs.  Dodd  read  part  of  it  out  to  Julia  :  in  fact,  all  but 
the  money  matter  :  that  concerned  the  heads  of  the  fam- 
ily more  immediately  ;  and  cash  was  a  topic  her  daughter 
did  not  understand  nor  care  about.  And  when  Mrs.  Dodd 
had  read  it  with  glistening  eyes,  she  kissed  it  tenderly, 
and  read  it  all  over  again  to  herself,  and  then  put  it  into 
her  bosom  as  naively  as  a  milkmaid  in  love. 

Edward's  letter  was  short  enough,  and  IMrs.  Dodd 
allowed  Julia  to  read  it  to  her,  which  she  did  with 
panting  breath  and  glowing  cheeks,  and  a  running  tire 
of  comments. 


HARD   CASH.  35 

Dear  Mamma,  —I  hope  3-011  and  Ju  are  quite  well-- 

"  Ju,"  murmured  j\Irs.  Docld.  plaintively. 

—  And  that  there  is  good  news  about  papa  coming  home. 
As  for  me,  1  have  plenty  on  my  hands  just  now  :  all  this  term  1 
have  been  ("' training' scratched  out,  and  another  word  put 
in:  c-r  —  oh,  I  know")  cramming. 

"  Cramming,  love  ?  " 

"  Yes,  that  is  the  Oxfordish  for  studying." 

—  For  smalls. 

Mrs.  Dodd  contrived  to  sigh  interrogatively.  Julia, 
who  understood  her  every  accent,  reminded  her  that 
"smalls"  was  the  new  word  for  "little  go." 

—  Cramming  for  smalls ;  and  now  I  am  in  two  races  at 
Henley,  and  that  rather  puts  the  snaffle  on  reading  and  goose- 
berry-pie (Goodness  me  !),  and  adds  to  my  chance  of  being 
ploughed  for  smalls. 

"What  does  it  all  mean  ?  "  inquired  mamma  :  " 'goose- 
berry-pie,' and  'the  snaffle,'  and  'ploughed'  ?  " 

""Well,  the  gooseberry-pie  is  really  too  deep  for  me, 
but  ploughed  is  the  new  Oxfordish  for  'plucked.'  0 
mamma  !  have  you  forgotten  that  ?  Plucked  was  vul- 
gar, so  now  they  are  ploughed." 

—  For  smalls  ;  but  I  hope  I  shall  not  be,  to  vex  you  and  Fuss. 

"  Heaven  forbid  he  should  be  so  disgraced  !  But  what 
has  the  cat  to  do  with  it  ?  " 

"Nothing  on  earth.  Puss?  that  is  me.  How  dare 
he  ?  Did  I  not  forbid  all  these  nicknames  and  all  this 
Oxfordish,  by  proclamation,  last  long  ?  " 

"  Last  long  ?  " 

"  Hem  !  last  protracted  vacation." 

-—  Dear  mamma,  sometimes  I  cannot  help  being  down  in 
the  mouth  (why,  it  is  a  string  of  pearls)  to  think  you  havo 


30  HARD  CASH. 

not  got  a  son  like  Hardie.  (At  this  unfortunate  reflection  it 
was  Julia''s  turn  to  sufi"er.  She  deposited  the  letter  in  her  lap, 
and  fired  up.  "  Now,  have  I  not  a  cause  to  hate  and  scorn  and 
despise  le  petit  Hardie  ?  ") 

"Julia!" 

"  I  mean,  to  dislike  with  propriety  and  gently  to 
abominate  —  Mr.  Hardie,  junior." 

—  Dear  mamma,  do  come  to  Henley  on  the  tenth,  you  and 
Ju.  The  university  eights  will  not  be  there,  but  the  head 
boats  of  the  Oxford  and  Cambridge  river  will ;  and  the  Oxford 
head  boat  is  Exeter,  you  know ;  and  I  pull  Six. 

"  Then  I  am  truly  sorry  to  hear  it ;  my  poor  boy  will 
overtask  his  strength ;  and  how  unfair  of  the  other  young 
gentlemen  ;  it  seems  ungenerous,  unreasonable  ;  my  poor 
child  against  so  many." 

—  And  I  am  entered  for  the  sculls  as  well,  and  if  you  and 
"the  Impetuosity"  (Vengeance!)  were  looking  on  from  the 
bank,  I  do  think  I  should  be  lucky  this  time.  Henley  is  a  long 
way  from  Barkington,  but  it  is  a  pretty  place ;  all  the  ladies 
admire  it,  and  like  to  see  both  the  universities  out  and  a 
stunning  race.  (Oh,  well,  there  is  an  epithet.  One  would 
think  thunder  was  going  to  race  lightning,  instead  of  Oxford 
Cambridge.) 

If  you  can  come,  please  write,  and  I  will  get  you  nice 
lodgings ;  I  will  not  let  you  go  to  a  noisy  inn.  Love  to  Julia 
and  no  end  of  kisses  to  my  pretty  mamma. 

From  your  afi'ectionate  son, 

Edward  Dodd. 

They  wrote  off  a  cordial  assent,  and  reached  Henley 
in  time  to  see  the  dullest  town  in  Europe  ;  and  also 
to  see  it  turn  one  of  the  gayest  in  an  hour  or  two ;  so 
impetuously  came  both  the  universities  pouring  into  it 
—  in  all  known  vehicles  that  could  go  their  pace  —  by 
land  and  water. 


HARD   CASH.  3'/ 


CHAPTER  I. 

It  was  a  bright  hot  day  in  June.  Mrs.  Dodd  and 
Julia  sat  half  reclining,  with  their  parasols  up,  in  an 
open  carriage,  by  the  brink  of  the  Thames  at  one  of  its 
loveliest  bends. 

About  a  furlong  up  stream  a  silvery  stone  bridge,  just 
mellowed  by  time,  spanned  the  river  with  many  fair 
arches.  Through  these  the  coming  river  peeped  si:)ark- 
ling  a  long  way  above,  then  came  meandering  a,nd  shin- 
ing down ;  loitered  cool  and  sombre  under  the  dark 
vaults,  then  glistened  on  again  crookedly  to  the  spot 
where  sat  its  two  fairest  visitors  that  day,  but  at  that 
very  point  flung  off  its  serpentine  habits,  and  shot 
straight  away  in  a  broad  stream  of  scintillating  water 
a  mile  long,  down  to  an  island  in  mid-stream,  — a  little 
fairy  island  with  old  trees,  and  a  white  temple.  To  curl 
round  this  fairy  isle  the  broad  current  parted,  and  both 
silver  streams  turned  purple  in  the  shade  of  the  grove, 
then  winded  and  melted  from  the  sight. 

This  noble  and  rare  passage  of  the  silvery  Thames 
was  the  Henley  race-course.  The  starting-place  was 
down  at  the  island,  and  the  goal  was  up  at  a  point  in  the 
river  below  the  bridge,  but  above  the  bend  where  Mrs. 
Dodd  and  Julia  sat,  unruffled  by  the  racing,  and  enjoy- 
ing luxuriously  the  glorious  stream,  the  mellow  bridge 
crowded  with  carriages,  whose  fair  occupants  stretched 
a  broad  band  of  bright  color  above  the  dark  figures 
clustering  on  the  battlements,  and  the  green  meadows 
opposite  with  the  motley  crowd  streaming  up  and  down. 

Nor  was  that  sense,  which  seems  especially  keen  and 


38  HARD   CASH. 

delicate  in  women,  left  unregaled  in  the  general  bounty 
of  the  time.  The  green  meadows  on  the  opposite  bank, 
and  the  gardens  at  the  back  of  our  fair  friends,  flung 
their  sweet  fresh  odors  at  their  liquid  benefactor  gliding 
by  ;  and  the  sun  himself  seemed  to  burn  perfumes,  and 
the  air  to  scatter  them,  over  the  motley,  merry  crowd 
that  bright,  hot,  smiling,  airy  day  in  June. 

Thus  tuned  to  gentle  enjoyment,  the  fair  mother  and 
her  lovely  daughter  leaned  back  in  a  delicious  languor 
proper  to  their  sex,  and  eyed  with  unflagging  though 
demure  interest,  and  furtive  curiosity,  the  wealth  of 
youth,  beauty,  stature,  agility,  gayety,  and  good  temper, 
the  two  great  universities  had  poured  out  upon  those 
obscure  banks ;  all  dressed  in  neat  but  easy-fitting 
clothes,  cut  in  the  height  of  the  fashion,  or  else  in  jerseys 
white  or  striped,  and  flannel  trousers,  and  straw  hats,  or 
cloth  caps  of  bright  and  various  hues,  betting,  strolling, 
laughing,  chaffing,  larking,  and  whirling  stunted  blud- 
geons at  Aunt  Sally. 

But  as  for  the  sport  itself  they  were  there  to  see,  the 
centre  of  all  these  bright  accessories,  "  the  racing,"  my 
ladies  did  not  understand  it,  nor  try,  nor  care  a  hook- 
and-eye  about  it.  But  this  mild  dignified  indifference  to 
the  main  event  received  a  shock  at  2  r.M.,  for  then  the 
first  heat  for  the  cup  came  on,  and  Edward  was  in  it. 
So  then  racing  became  all  in  a  moment  a  most  interest- 
ing pastime,  —  an  appendage  to  loving.  He  left  to  join 
his  crew.  And  soon  after  the  Exeter  glided  down  the 
river  before  their  eyes,  with  the  beloved  one  rowing 
quietly  in  it.  His  jersey  revealed  not  only  the  working 
power  of  his  arms,  as  sunburnt  below  the  elbow  as  a 
gypsy's,  and  as  corded  above  as  a  blacksmith's,  but  also 
the  play  of  the  great  muscles  across  his  broad  and 
deeply  indented  chest.  His  oar  entered  the  water 
smoothly,  gripped  it  severely,  then  came  out  clean,  and 


HARD   CASH.  39 

feathered  clear  and  tunably  on  the  ringing  rowlock :  the 
boat  jumped  and  then  glided  at  each  neat,  easy,  power- 
ful stroke.  "  Oh,  how  beautiful  and  strong  he  is  !  "  cried 
Julia.     "  I  had  no  idea." 

Presently  the  competitor  for  this  heat  came  down,  the 
Cambridge  boat,  rowed  by  a  fine  crew  in  broad-striped 
jerseys.  "Oh,  dear!  "  said  Julia,  "they  are  odious  and 
strong  in  this  boat  too.  I  wish  I  was  in  it  —  with  a 
gimlet ;  he  should  win,  poor  boy." 

Which  corkscrew  staircase  to  honor  being  inaccessible, 
the  race  had  to  be  decided  by  two  unfeminine  trifles 
called  "  speed  "  and  "  bottom." 

Few  things  in  this  vale  of  tears  are  more  worthy  a 
pen  of  fire  than  an  English  boat-race,  as  seen  by  the 
runners,  of  whom  I  have  often  been  one.  But  this  race 
I  am  bound  to  indicate,  not  describe.  I  mean  to  show 
how  it  appeared  to  two  ladies  seated  on  the  Henley  side 
of  the  Thames,  nearly  opposite  the  winning-post.  These 
fair  novices  then  looked  all  down  the  river,  and  could 
just  discern  two  whitish  streaks  on  the  water,  one  on 
each  side  the  little  fairy  isle,  and  a  great  black  patch  on 
the  Berkshire  bank.  The  threatening  streaks  were  the 
two  racing  boats :  the  black  patch  was  about  a  huudred 
Cambridge  and  Oxford  men,  ready  to  run  and  halloo  with 
the  boats  all  the  way,  or  at  least  till  the  last  puff  of 
wind  should  be  run  plus  hallooed  out  of  their  young 
bodies.  Others  less  fleet  and  enduring,  but  equally 
clamorous,  stood  in  knots  at  various  distances,  ripe  for 
a  shorter  yell  and  run  when  the  boats  should  come  up 
to  them.  Of  the  natives  and  country  visitors,  those  who 
were  not  nailed  down  by  bounteous  Fate  ebbed  and 
flowed  up  and  down  the  bank  with  no  settled  idea,  but 
of  getting  in  the  way  as  much  as  possible,  and  of  getting 
knocked  into  the  Thames  as  little  as  might  be. 


40  HARD   CASH. 

There  was  a  long  uneasy  suspense. 

At  last  a  puff  of  smoke  issued  from  a  pistol  down  at 
the  island ;  two  oars  seemed  to  splash  into  the  water 
from  each  white  streak,  and  the  black  patch  was  moving: 
so  were  the  threatening  streaks.  Presently  was  heard  a 
faint,  continuous,  distant  murmur,  and  the  streaks  began 
to  get  larger  and  larger  and  larger  ;  and  the  eight  splash- 
ing oars  looked  four  instead  of  two. 

Every  head  was  now  turned  down  the  river.  Groups 
hung  craning  over  it  like  nodding  bulrushes. 

Next  the  runners  were  swelled  by  the  stragglers  they 
picked  up ;  so  were  their  voices ;  and  on  came  the 
splashing  oars  and  roaring  lungs. 

Now  the  colors  of  the  racing  jerseys  peeped  distinct. 
The  oarsmen's  heads  and  bodies  came  swinging  back  like 
one,  and  the  oars  seemed  to  lash  the  water  savagely,  like 
a  connected  row  of  swords,  and  the  spray  squirted  at 
each  vicious  stroke.  The  boats  leaped  and  darted  side 
by  side,  and,  looking  at  them  in  front,  Julia  could  not 
say  which  was  ahead.  On  they  came  nearer  and  nearer, 
with  hundreds  of  voices  vociferating,  "  Go  it,  Cam- 
bridge !  "  "  Well  pulled,  Oxford !  "  "  You  are  gaining, 
hurrah!"  ''Well  pulled.  Trinity!"  "Hurrah!"  "Ox- 
ford !  "  "  Cambridge  !  "  "  Now  is  your  time,  Hardie  ; 
pick  her  up  ! "  "  Oh,  well  pulled.  Six  !  "  "  Well  pulled, 
Stroke  !  "  "  Up,  up  !  lift  her  a  bit !  "  "  Cambridge  ! " 
"  Oxford  !  "     "  Hurrah  ! " 

At  this  Julia  turned  red  and  pale  by  turns.  "  0 
mamma!"  said  she,  clasping  her  hands  and  coloring 
high,  "  would  it  be  very  wrong  if  I  was  to  prai/  for 
Oxford  to  win  ?  " 

Mrs.  Dodd  had  a  monitory  finger ;  it  was  on  her  left 
hand :  she  raised  it,  and  that  moment,  as  if  she  had 
given  a  signal,  the  boats,  foreshortened  no  longer,  shot 
'out  to  treble  the  length  they  had  looked  hitherto,  and 


HARD  CASH.  41 

came  broadside  past  our  palpitating  fair,  the  elastic  row- 
ers stretched  like  greyhounds  in  a  chase,  darting  forward 
at  each  stroke  so  boldly  they  seemed  flying  out  of  the 
boats,  and  surging  back  as  superbly,  an  eightfold  human 
wave :  their  nostrils  all  open,  the  lips  of  some  pale  and 
glutinous,  their  white  teeth  all  clenched  grimly,  their 
young  eyes  all  glowing,  their  supple  bodies  swelling,  the 
muscles  writhing  beneath  their  jerseys,  and  the  sinews 
starting  on  each  bare  brown  arm ;  their  little  shrill  cox- 
swains shouting  imperiously  at  the  young  giants,  and 
working  to  and  fro  with  them,  like  jockeys  at  a  finish  ; 
nine  souls  and  bodies  fllung  whole  into  each  magnificent 
effort ;  water  foaming  and  flying,  rowlocks  ringing, 
crowd  running,  tumbling,  and  howling  like  mad  ;  and 
Cambridge  a  boat's  nose  ahead. 

They  had  scarcely  passed  our  two  spectators,  when 
Oxford  put  on  a  furious  spurt,  and  got  fully  even  with 
the  leading  boat.  There  was  a  louder  roar  than  ever 
from  the  banl^.  Cambridge  spurted  desperately  in  turn, 
and  stole  those  few  feet  back ;  and  so  they  went  fighting 
every  inch  of  water.  Bang  !  A  cannon  on  the  bank 
sent  its  smoke  over  both  competitors :  it  dispersed  in  a 
moment,  and  the  boats  were  seen  pulling  slowly  towards 
the  bridge,  Cambridge  with  four  oars,  Oxford  with  six, 
as  if  that  gun  had  winged  them  both. 

The  race  was  over. 

But  who  had  won,  our  party  could  not  see,  and  must 
wait  to  learn. 

A  youth,  adorned  with  a  blue  and  yellow  rosette,  cried 
out,  in  the  hearing  of  Mrs.  Dodd,  "  I  say,  they  are  prop- 
erly pumped,  both  crews  are  ;  "  then,  jumping  on  to  a 
spoke  of  her  carriage-wheel,  with  a  slight  apology,  he 
announced  that  two  or  three  were  shut  up  in  the  Exeter. 

The  exact  meaning  of  these  two  verbs  passive  was  not 
clear  to  Mrs.  Dodd,  but  their  intensity  was :  she  flut 


42  HARD   CASH. 

tered,  and  wanted  to  go  to  her  boy  and  nurse  him,  and 
turned  two  most  imploring  eyes  on  Julia,  and  Julia 
straightway  kissed  her  with  gentle  vehemence,  and 
offered  to  run  and  see. 

"  What,  amongst  all  those  young  gentlemen,  love  ? 
I  fear  that  would  not  be  proper.  See,  all  the  ladies 
remain  apart."  So  they  kept  quiet  and  miserable,  after 
the  manner  of  females. 

Meantime  the  Cantab's  quick  eye  had  not  deceived 
him  ;  in  each  racing-boat  were  two  young  gentlemen 
leaning  collapsed  over  their  oars ;  and  two  more,  who 
were  in  a  cloud,  and  not  at  all  clear  whether  they  were 
in  this  world  still,  or  in  their  zeal  had  pulled  into  a  bet- 
ter. But  their  malady  was  not  a  rare  one  in  racing 
boats,  and  the  remedy  always  at  hand ;  it  combined  the 
rival  systems:  Thames  was  sprinkled  in  their  faces, — 
Homoeopathy  ;  and  brandy  in  a  teaspoon  trickled  down 
their  throats,  —  Allopathy.  Youth  and  spirits  soon  did 
the  rest ;  and,  the  moment  their  eyes  opened,  their 
mouths  opened,  and,  the  moment  their  mouths  opened, 
they  fell  a-chaffing. 

Mrs.  Dodd's  anxiety  and  Julia's  were  relieved  by  the 
appearance  of  Mr.  Edward,  in  a  tweed  shooting-jacket, 
sauntering  down  to  them,  hands  in  his  pockets,  and  a 
cigar  in  his  mouth,  placidly  unconscious  of  their  solici- 
tude on  his  account.  He  was  received  with  a  little 
guttural  cry  of  delight.  The  misery  they  had  been  in 
about  him  was  duly  concealed  from  him  by  both,  and 
Julia  asked  him  warmly  who  had  won. 

"  Oh,  Cambridge." 

"  Cambridge  !     Why,  then  you  are  beaten  ?  " 

"Rather."     (Puff.) 

"And  you  can  come  here  with  that  horrible  calm,  and 
cigar,  owning  defeat,  and  puffing  tranquillity,  Avith  the 
same  mouth.    Mamma,  we  are  beaten.    Beaten,  actually." 


HARD  CASH.  43 

''Never  mind,"  said  Edward  kindly,  "you  have  seen 
a  capital  race,  the  closest  ever  known  on  this  river,  and 
one  side  or  other  must  lose." 

"  And  if  they  did  not  quite  win,  they  very  nearly 
did,"  observed  Mrs.  Dodd  composedly ;  then,  with  heart- 
felt content,  '•'  He  is  not  hurt,  and  that  is  the  main  thing." 

"Well,  my  Lady  Placid  and  Mr.  Imperturbable,  I  am 
glad  neither  of  your  equanimities  is  disturbed ;  but 
defeat  is  a  bitter  pill  to  me." 

Julia  said  this  in  her  earnest  voice,  and,  drawing  her 
scarf  suddenly  round  her,  so  as  almost  to  make  it  speak, 
digested  her  bitter  pill  in  silence,  during  which  process 
several  Exeter  men  caught  sight  of  Edward,  and  came 
round  him,  and  an  animated  discussion  took  place.  They 
began  with  asking  him  how  it  had  happened,  and,  as  he 
never  spoke  in  a  hurry,  supplied  him  with  the  answers. 
A  stretcher  had  broken  in  the  Exeter.  No,  but  the 
Cambridge  was  a  much  better  built  boat,  and  her  bottom 
cleaner.  The  bow  oar  of  the  Exeter  was  ill,  and  not  tit 
for  work.  Each  of  these  solutions  was  advanced,  and 
combated  in  turn,  and  then  all  together.  At  last  the 
Babel  lulled,  and  Edward  was  once  more  appealed  to. 

"  Well,  I  will  tell  you  the  real  truth,"  said  he,  "  how 
it  happened."     (Puff.) 

There  was  a  pause  of  expectation,  for  the  young  man's 
tone  was  that  of  conviction,  knowledge,  and  authority. 

"The  Cambridge  men  pulled  faster  than  we  did." 
(Puff.) 

The  hearers  stared  and  then  laughed. 

"  Come,  old  fellows,"  said  Edward,  "  never  win  a  boat- 
race  on  dry  land  !  That  is  such  a  jAain  thing  to  do: 
gives  the  other  side  the  laugh  as  well  as  the  race.  I 
have  heard  a  stretcher  or  two  told,  but  I  saw  none 
broken.  (Puff.)  Their  boat  is  the  worst  I  ever  saw  :  it 
dips  every  stroke.     (Puff.)     Their  strength  lies  in  the 


44  HARD  CASH. 

crew.  It  was  a  good  race  and  a  fair  one.  Cambridge 
got  a  lead  and  kept  it.  (Puff.)  They  beat  us  a  yard  or 
two  at  rowing  ;  but,  hang  it  all !  don't  let  them  beat  us 
at  telling  the  truth,  not  by  an  inch."     (Puff.) 

"All  right,  old  fellow!"  was  now  the  cry.  One  ob- 
served, however,  that  Stroke  did  not  take  the  matter  so 
coolly  as  Six,  for  he  had  shed  a  tear  getting  out  of  the 
boat. 

"  Shed  a  fiddlestick  I "  squeaked  a  little  sceptic. 

"No,"  said  another,  "he  didn't  quite  shed  it;  his 
pride  wouldn't  let  him." 

"  So  he  decanted  it,  and  put  it  by  for  supper,"  sug- 
gested Edward,  and  puffed. 

"  None  of  your  chaff.  Six.  He  had  a  gulp  or  two,  and 
swallowed  the  rest  by  main  force." 

"Don't  you  talk;  you  can  swallow  anything,  it  seems." 
(Puff.) 

"  Well,  I  believe  it,"  said  one  of  Hardie's  own  set. 
"  Dodd  doesn't  know  him  as  we  do.  Taff  Hardie  can't 
bear  to  be  beat." 

When  they  were  gone,  Mrs.  Dodd  observed,  "Dear 
me !  what  if  the  young  gentleman  did  cry  a  little,  it 
was  very  excusable ;  after  such  great  exertions  it  was 
disappointing,  mortifying.  I  pity  him  for  one,  and  wish 
he  had  his  mother  alive  and  here,  to  dry  them."  ^ 

"Mamma,  it  is  you  for  reading  us,"  cried  Edward, 
slapping  his  thigh.  "Well,  then,  since  you  can  feel  for 
a  fellow,  Hardie  xvas  a  good  deal  cut  up.  You  know  the 
university  was  in  a  manner  beaten,  and  he  took  the 
blame.  He  never  cried;  that  was  a  cracker  of  those 
fellows.  But  he  did  give  one  great  sob,  that  was  all, 
and  hung  his  head  on  one  side  a  moment.  But  then  he 
fought  out  of  it,  directly,  like  a  man,  and  there  was  an 
end  of  it,  or  ought  to  have  been.     Hang  chatterboxes  1" 

•  Ob  where,  and  oh  where,  was  her  Lindley  Murray  gone  ? 


HARD   CASH.  45 

"  And  what  did  you  say  to  console  him,  Edward  ? " 
inquired  Julia,  warmly. 

"What,  me?  Console  my  senior  and  my  stroke  ?  No, 
thank  you." 

At  tliis  thunderbolt  of  etiquette  both  ladies  kept  their 
countenances  —  this  was  their  muscular  feat  that  day  — 
and  the  racing  for  the  sculls  came  on :  six  competitors 
—  two  Cambridge,  three  Oxford,  one  London.  The  three 
heats  furnished  but  one  gootl  race,  a  sharp  contest 
between  a  Cambridge  man  and  Hardie,  ending  in  favor 
of  the  latter ;  the  Londoner  walked  away  from  his  oppo- 
nent. Sir  Imperturbable's  competitor  was  impetuous, 
and  ran  into  him  in  the  first  hundred  yards,  Sir  I.  con- 
senting calmly.  The  umpire,  appealed  to  on  the  spot, 
decided  that  it  was  a  foul,  Mr.  Dodd  being  in  his  own 
water.  He  walked  over  ^h.  course,  and  explained  the 
matter  to  his  sister,  who  delivered  her  mind  thus :  — 

"  Oh !  if  races  are  to  be  won  by  going  slower  than  the 
other,  Ave  may  shine  yet :  only,  I  call  it  cheating,  not 
racing." 

He  smiled  unmoved ;  she  gave  her  scarf  the  irony 
twist,  and  they  all  went  to  dinner.  The  business  recom- 
menced with  a  race  between  a  London  boat  and  the 
winner  of  yesterday's  heat,  Cambridge.  Here  the  truth 
of  Edward's  remark  appeared.  The  Cambridge  boat 
was  too  light  for  the  men,  and  kept  burying  her  nose  ; 
the  London  craft,  under  a  heavy  crew,  floated  like  a  cork. 
The  Londoners  soon  found  out  their  advantage,  and, 
overrating  it,  steered  into  their  opponents'  water  pre- 
maturely, in  spite  of  a  warning  voice  from  the  bank. 
Cambridge  saw,  and  cracked  on  for  a  foul ;  and  for  about 
a  minute  it  was  anybody's  race.  But  the  Londoners 
pulled  gallantly,  and  just  scraped  clear  ahead.  This 
peril  escaped,  they  kept  their  backs  straight,  and  a  clear 
lead  to  the  finish.     Cambridge  followed  a  few  feet  in 


46  HARD  CASH. 

their  wake,  pulling  wonderfully  fast  to  the  end,  but  a 
trifle  out  of  form,  and  much  distressed. 

At  this  both  universities  looked  blue,  their  humble 
aspiration  being,  first,  to  beat  off  all  the  external  world, 
and  then  tackle  each  other  for  the  prize. 

Just  before  Edward  left  his  friends  for  "the  sculls," 
the  final  heat,  a  note  was  brought  to  him.  He  ran  his 
eye  over  it,  and  threw  it  open  into  his  sister's  lap.  The 
ladies  read  it.  Its  writer  had  won  a  j)rize  poem,  and  so 
now  is  our  time  to  get  a  hint  for  composition :  — 

Dear  Sik,  —  Oxford  must  win  something.  Suppose  we  go 
in  for  these  sculls.  You  are  a  hoi'se  that  can  sta}^;  Silcock  is 
hot  for  the  lead  at  starting,  I  hear  •  su  I  mean  to  work  him  out 
of  wind ;  then  you  can  wait  on  us,  and  pick  u  the  race.  My 
head  is  not  well  enough  to-day  to  win,  but  I  am  good  to  pump 
the  cockney  ;  he  is  quick,  but  a  little  stale.     Yours  truly, 

Alfred  Hardie. 

Mrs.  Dodd  remarked  that  the  language  was  sadly 
figurative ;  but  she  hoped  Edward  might  be  successful, 
in  spite  of  his  correspondent's  style. 

Julia  said  she  did  not  dare  hope  it.  "  The  race  is  not 
always  to  the  slowest  and  the  dearest."  This  was  in 
allusion  to  yesterday's  "  foul." 

The  skiffs  started  down  at  the  island ;  and,  as  they 
were  longer  coming  up  than  the  eight-oars,  she  was  in  a 
fever  for  nearly  ten  minutes ;  at  last,  near  the  opposite 
bank,  up  came  the  two  leading  skiffs  struggling,  both 
men  visibly  exhausted ;  Silcock  ahead,  but  his  rudder 
overlapped  by  Hardie's  bow ;  each  in  his  own  water. 

"We  are  third,"  sighed  Julia,  and  turned  her  head 
away  from  the  river,  sorrowfully ;  but  only  for  a 
moment,  for  she  felt  Mrs.  Dodd  start  and  press  her  arm ; 
and  lo!  Edward's  skiff  was  shooting  swiftly  across  from 
their  side  of  the  river.     He  was  pulling  just  within  him- 


HARD   CASH.  47 

self,  in  beautiful  form,  and  with  far  more  elasticity  than 
the  other  two  had  got  left.  As  he  passed  his  mother 
and  sister,  his  eyes  seemed  to  strike  tire,  and  he  laid  out 
all  his  powers,  and  went  at  the  leading  skiffs  hand  over 
head.  There  was  a  yell  of  astonisliment  and  delight 
from  both  sides  of  the  Thames.  He  passed  Hardie, 
who  upon  that  relaxed  hi"  speed.  In  tliirty  seconds 
more  he  was  even  with  Silcock;  then  came  a  keen 
struggle:  but  the  new-comer  was  ''the  horse  that  could 
stay ; "  he  drew  steadily  ahead,  and  the  stern  of  his 
boat  was  in  a  line  with  Silcock's  person,  when  the  gun 
fired,  and  a  fearful  roar  from  the  bridge,  the  river,  and 
the  banks,  announced  that  the  favorite  university  had 
picked  up  the  sculls  in  the  person  of  Dodd  of  Exeter. 

In  due  course  he  brought  the  little  silver  sculls,  and 
pinned  them  on  his  mother. 

While  she  and  Julia  were  telling  him  how  proud  they 
were,  and  how  happy  they  should  be,  but  for  their  fears 
that  he  would  hurt  himself,  beating  gentlemen  ever  so 
much  older  than  himself,  came  two  Exeter  men  with 
wild  looks  hunting  for  him.  "  0  Dodd !  Hardie  wants 
you  directly." 

"  Don't  you  go,  Edward,"  whispered  Julia ;  "  why 
should  you  be  at  Mr.  Hardie's  beck  and  call  ?  I  never 
heard  of  such  a  thing.  That  youth  will  make  me  hate 
him." 

"  Oh,  I  think  I  had  better  just  go  and  see  what  it  is 
about,"  replied  Edward ;  "  I  shall  be  back  directly." 
And  on  this  understanding  he  Avent  off  with  the  men. 

Half  an  hour  passed ;  an  hour ;  two  hours ;  and  he  did 
not  return.  Mrs.  Dodd  and  Julia  sat  wondering  what 
had  become  of  him,  and  were  looking  all  around,  and 
getting  uneasy,  when  at  last  they  did  hear  something 
about  him,  but  indirectly,  and  from  an  unexpected  quar- 
ter.    A  tall  young  man  in  a  jersey  and  flannel  trousers, 


48  HARD   CASH. 

and  a  little  straw  hat,  with  a  purple  rosette,  came  away 
from  the  bustle  to  the  more  secluded  part  where  they 
sat,  and  made  eagerly  for  the  Thames,  as  if  he  was  a 
duck,  and  going  in.  But  at  the  brink  he  flung  himself 
into  a  sitting  posture,  and  dipped  his  white  handkerchief 
into  the  stream,  then  tied  it  viciously  round  his  brow, 
doubled  himself  up,  with  his  head  in  his  hands,  and 
rocked  himself  like  an  old  woman  —  minus  the  patience, 
of  course. 

Mrs.  Dodd  and  Julia,  sitting  but  a  few  paces  behind 
him,  interchanged  a  look  of  intelligence.  The  young 
gentleman  was  a  stranger;  but  they  had  recognized  a 
faithful  old  acquaintance  at  the  bottom  of  his  panto- 
mime. They  discovered,  too,  that  the  afflicted  one  was 
a  personage :  for  he  had  not  sat  tliere  long  when  quite  a 
little  band  of  men  came  after  him.  Observing  his  semi- 
circularity  and  general  condition,  they  hesitated  a 
moment,  and  then  one  of  them  remonstrated  eagerly. 
"  For  Heaven's  sake,  come  back  to  the  boat !  there  is  a 
crowd  of  all  the  colleges  come  round  us ;  and  they  all 
say  Oxford  is  being  sold;  we  had  a  chance  for  the  four- 
oared  race,  and  you  are  throwing  it  away." 

"  What  do  I  care  what  they  all  say  ?  ''  was  the  answer, 
delivered  with  a  kind  of  plaintive  snarl. 

"  But  we  care." 

"  Care  then !  I  pity  you."  And  he  turned  his  back 
fiercely  on  them,  and  then  groaned  by  way  of  half 
apology.  Another  tried  him:  "Come,  give  us  a  civil 
answer,  please." 

"People  that  intrude  upon  a  man's  privacy,  racked 
with  pain,  have  no  right  to  demand  civility,"  replied  the 
sufferer,  more  gently,  but  sullenly  enough. 

"  Do  you  call  this  privacy  ?  " 

"  It  was,  a  minute  ago.  Do  you  think  I  left  tlie  boat, 
and  came  here  among  the  natives,  for  company  ?  and 
noise  ?     With  my  head  splitting." 


HARD   CASH.  49 

Here  Julia  gave  Mrs.  Dodd  a  soft  pinch,  to  which 
Mrs.  Dodd  replied  by  a  smile.  And  so  they  settled  who 
this  petulant  young  invalid  must  be. 

"There,  it  is  no  use,"  observed  one,  sntto  voce,  "the 
bloke  really  has  awful  headaches,  like  a  girl,  and  then 
he  always  shuts  up  this  way.  You  will  only  rile  him, 
and  get  the  rough  side  of  his  tongue." 

Here,  then,  the  conference  drew  towards  a  close.  But 
a  Wadham  man,  who  was  one  of  the  ambassadors,  inter- 
posed. "  Stop  a  minute,"  said  he.  "Mr.  Hardie,  I  have 
not  the  honor  to  be  acquainted  with  you,  and  I  am  not 
here  to  annoy  you,  nor  to  be  affronted  by  you.  But  the 
university  has  a  ^take  in  this  race,  and  the  university 
expostulates  through  us  :  through  me,  if  you  like." 

"  Who  have  I  the  honor  ?  "  inquired  Hardie,  assuming 
politeness  sudden  and  vast. 

"  Badham,  of  Wadham." 

"Badham  o' Wadham  ?  Hear  that,  ye  tuneful  nine! 
Well,  Badham  o'  Wadham,  you  are  no  acquaintance  of 
mine  ;  so  you  may  possibly  not  be  a  fool.  Let  us  assume 
by  way  of  hypothesis  that  you  are  a  man  of  sense,  a  man 
of  reason  as  well  as  of  rhyme.  Then  follow  my  logic. 
Hardie  of  Exeter  is  a  good  man  in  a  boat  when  he  has 
not  got  a  headache. 

"When  he  has  got  a  headache,  Hardie  of  Exeter  is 
not  worth  a  straw  in  a  boat. 

"Hardie  of  Exeter  has  a  headache  now. 

"JS'/-yo,  the  university  would  put  the  said  Hardie  into 
a  race,  headache  and  all,  and  reduce  defeat  to  a  certainty. 

"And,  eryo,  on  the  same  premises,  I,  not  being  an 
egotist,  nor  an  ass,  have  taken  Hardie  of  Exeter  and  his 
headache  out  of  the  boat,  as  I  should  have  done  any 
other  cripple. 

"  Secondly,  I  have  put  the  best  man  on  the  river  into 

this  cripple's  place.  

4 


50  HARD   CASH. 

"  Total,  I  have  given  the  university  the  benefit  of  my 
brains ;  and  the  university,  not  having  brains  enough  to 
see  what  it  gains  by  the  exchange,  turns  again  and  rends 
rae,  like  an  animal  frequently  mentioned  in  Scripture ; 
but,  nota  bene,  never  once  with  approbation." 

And  the  afflicted  rhetorician  attempted  a  diabolical 
grin,  but  failed  signally,  and  groaned  instead, 

"  Is  this  your  answer  to  the  university,  sir  ?  " 

At  this  query,  delivered  in  a  somewhat  threatening 
■  tone,  the  invalid  sat  up  all  in  a  moment,  like  a  poked 
lion.  "  Oh,  if  Badham  o'  Wadliam  thinks  to  crush  me 
auctoritate  sua  et  tot'ius  universltatis,  Badham  o'  AVadham 
may  just  tell  the  whole  university  to  go  and  be  d — tl, 
from  the  chancellor  down  to  the  junior  cook  at  Skim- 
mery  Hall,  with  my  compliments." 

"  Ill-conditioned  brute  ! "  muttered  Badham  of  Wad- 
ham.  "  Serve  you  right  if  the  university  were  to  chuck 
you  into  the  Thames."  And  with  this  comment  they 
left  him  to  his  ill-temper.  One  remained;  sat  quietly 
down  a  little  way  off ;  struck  a  sweetly  aromatic  lucifer ; 
and  blew  a  noisome  cloud,  but  the  only  one  which 
betokens  calm. 

As  for  Hardie,  he  held  his  aching  head  over  his  knees, 
absorbed  in  pain,  and  quite  unconscious  that  sacred  pity 
was  poisoning  the  air  beside  him,  and  two  pair  of  dove- 
like eyes  resting  on  him  with  womanly  concern. 

Mrs.  Dodd  and  Julia  had  heard  the  greatest  part  of 
this  colloquy.  They  had  terribly  quick  ears,  and  noth- 
ing better  to  do  with  them  just  then.  Indeed,  their 
interest  was  excited. 

Julia  went  so  far  as  to  put  her  salts  into  Mrs.  Dodd's 
hand  with  a  little  earnest  look.  But  IVtrs.  Dodd  did  not 
act  upon  the  hint ;  she  had  learned  who  the  young  man 
was ;  had  his  very  name  been  strange  to  her,  she  would 
have  been  more  at  her  ease  with  him.     Moreover,  his 


HARD   CASH.  51 

rudeness  to  the  other  men  repelled  her  a  little ;  above 
all,  he  had  uttered  a  monosyllable,  and  a  stinger;  a 
thorn  of  speech  not  in  her  vocabulary,  nor  even  in 
society's.  Those  might  be  his  manners,  even  Avhen  not 
aching.  Still,  it  seems  a  feather  would  have  turned  the 
scale  in  his  favor:  for  she  whispered,  "I  have  a  great 
mind  ;  if  I  could  but  catch  his  eye." 

While  feminine  pity  and  social  reserve  were  holding 
the  balance  so  nicely,  and  nonsensically,  about  half  a 
split  straw,  one  of  the  racing  four-oars  went  down  close 
under  the  Berkshire  bank.  "  London  ! "  observed  Hardie's 
adherent. 

"  What,  are  you  there,  old  fellow  ?  "  murmured  Har- 
die,  in  a  faint  voice.  "  'Now,  that  is  like  a  friend,  a  real 
friend,  to  sit  by  me,  and  not  make  a  row.  Thank  you  ! 
thank  you  !  " 

Presently  the  Cambridge  four-oar  passed :  it  was 
speedily  followed  by  the  Oxford ;  the  last  came  down  in 
mid-stream,  and  Hardie  eyed  it  keenly  as  it  passed. 
"  There,"  he  cried,  "  was  I  wrong  ?  There  is  a  swing 
for  you  :  there  is  a  stroke.  I  did  not  know  what  a  treas- 
ure I  had  got  sitting  behind  me." 

The  ladies  looked,  and  lo !  the  lauded  stroke  of  the 
four-oar  was  their  Edward. 

"  Sing  out,  and  tell  him  it  is  not  like  the  sculls.  He 
must  fight  for  the  lead,  at  starting,  and  hold  it  with  his 
eyelids  when  he  has  got  it." 

The  adherent  bawled  this  at  Edward,  and  Edward's 
reply  came  ringing  back  in  a  clear,  cheerful  voice,  "  We 
mean  to  try  all  we  know." 

"  What  is  the  odds  ?  "  inquired  the  invalid  faintly. 

"Even  on  London;  two  to  one  against  Cambridge; 
three  to  one  against  us." 

"  Take  all  my  tin,  and  lay  it  on,"  sighed  the  sufferer. 

"  Fork  it  out,  then.     Llallo  !  eighteen  pounds  ?     Fancy 


62  HARD   CASH. 

having  eighteen  pounds  at  the  end  of  term  ;  I'll  get  the 
odds  up  at  the  bridge  directly.  Here's  a  lady  offering 
you  her  smelling-bottle." 

Hardie  rose  and  turned  round,  and  sure  enough  there 
were  two  ladies  seated  in  their  carriage  at  some  distance  : 
one  of  whom  was  holding  him  out  three  pretty  little 
things  enough,  —  a  little  smile,  a  little  blush,  and  a  little 
cut-glass  bottle  with  a  gold  cork.  The  last  panegyric 
on  Edward  had  turned  the  scale. 

Hardie  went  slowly  up  to  the  side  of  the  carriage, 
and  took  off  his  hat  to  them  with  a  half-bewildered  air. 
Now  that  he  was  so  near,  his  face  showed  very  pale :  the 
more  so  that  his  neck  was  a  good  deal  tanned ;  his  eye- 
lids were  rather  swollen,  and  his  young  eyes  troubled 
and  almost  filmy  with  the  pain.  The  ladies  saw,  and 
their  gentle  bosoms  were  touched ;  they  had  heard  of 
him  as  a  victorious  young  Apollo  trampling  on  all  diffi- 
culties of  mind  and  body  ;  and  they  saw  him  wan,  and 
worn,  with  feminine  suffering:  the  contrast  made  him 
doubly  interesting. 

Arrived  at  the  side  of  the  carriage,  he  almost  started 
at  Julia's  beauty.  It  was  sun-like,  and  so  were  her  two 
lovely  earnest  eyes,  beaming  soft  pity  on  him  with  an 
eloquence  he  had  never  seen  in  human  eyes  before ;  for 
Julia's  were  mirrors  of  herself:  they  did  nothing  by 
halves. 

He  looked  at  her  and  her  mother,  and  blushed,  and 
stood  irresolute  awaiting  their  commands.  This  sudden 
contrast  to  his  petulance  with  his  own  sex  paved  the 
way.  *'  You  have  a  sad  headache,  sir,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd  ; 
"  oblige  me  by  trying  my  salts." 

He  thanked  her  in  a  low  voice. 

"And,  mamma,"  inquired  Julia,  "ought  he  to  sit  in 
the  sun  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not.  You  had  better  sit  there,  sir,  and 
profit  by  our  shade  and  our  parasols." 


■     ...     -'M^v 


TOOK    OFF    HIS    HAT    TO    THEM. 


HARD   CASH.  53 

''  Yes,  mamma,  but  you  know  the  real  place  where  he 
ought  to  be  is  bed." 

"  Oh,  pray  don't  say  that,"  implored  the  patient. 

But  Julia  continued,  with  unabated  severit}',  — 

"And  that  is  where  he  v/ould  go  this  minute,  if  I  was 
his  mamma." 

"Instead  of  his  junior,  and  a  stranger,"  said  Mrs. 
Dodd,  somewhat  coldly,  dwelling  with  a  very  slight 
monitory  emphasis  on  the  "  stranger." 

Julia  said  nothing,  but  drew  in  perceptibly,  and  was 
dead  silent  ever  after. 

"  0  madam  !  "  said  Hardie  eagerly,  "  I  do  not  dispute 
her  authorit}',  nor  yours.  You  have  a  right  to  send  me 
where  you  please,  after  your  kindness  in  noticing  my 
infernal  head,  and  doing  me  the  honor  to  speak  to  me, 
and  lending  me  this.  But  if  I  go  to  bed,  my  head  will 
be  my  master.  Besides,  I  shall  throw  away  what  little 
chance  I  have  of  making  your  acquaintance ;  and  the 
race  just  coming  off  !" 

"We  will  not  usurp  authority,  sir,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd 
quietly  ;  "  but  we  know  what  a  severe  headache  is,  and 
should  be  glad  to  see  you  sit  still  in  the  shade,  and 
excite  yourself  as  little  as  possible." 

"  Yes,  madam,"  said  the  youth  humbly,  and  sat  down 
like  a  lamb.  He  glanced  now  and  then  at  the  island, 
and  now  and  then  peered  up  at  the  radiant  young  mute 
beside  him. 

The  silence  continued  till  it  was  broken  by  —  a  fish 
out  of  "water.  An  undergraduate  in  spectacles  came 
mooning  along,  all  out  of  his  element.  It  was  Mr. 
Kennet,  who  used  to  rise  at  four  every  morning  to  his 
Plato,  and  walk  up  Shotover  Hill  every  afternoon,  wet 
or  dry,  to  cool  his  eyes  for  his  evening  work.  With 
what  view  he  deviated  to  Henley  has  not  yet  been  ascer- 
tained ;  he  was  blind  as  a  bat,  and  did  not  care  a  button 


54  HARD  CASH. 

about  any  earthly  boat-race,  except  the  one  in  the  ^Eneid, 
even  if  he  couhl  have  seen  one.  However,  nearly  all 
the  men  of  his  college  went  to  Henley,  and  perhaps 
some  branch,  hitherto  unexplored,  of  animal  magnetism 
drew  him  after.  At  any  rate,  there  was  his  body ;  and 
his  mind  at  Oxford  and  Athens,  and  other  venerable  but 
irrelevant  cities.  He  brightened  at  sight  of  his  doge, 
and  asked  him  warmly  if  he  had  heard  the  news. 

"  No  ;  what  ?     Nothing  Avrong,  I  hope  ?  " 

"  Why,  two  of  our  men  are  ploughed,  that  is  all,"  said 
Kennet,  affecting  with  Avithering  irony  to  undervalue  his 
intelligence. 

"  Confound  it,  Kennet,  how  you  frightened  me !  I 
was  afraid  there  was  some  screw  loose  with  the  crew." 

At  this  very  instant  the  smoke  of  the  pistol  was  seen 
to  puff  out  from  the  island,  and  Hardie  rose  to  his  feet. 
"  They  are  off ! "  cried  he  to  the  ladies,  and  after  first 
putting  his  palms  together  with  a  hypocritical  look  of 
apology,  he  laid  one  hand  on  an  old  barge  that  was 
drawn  up  ashore,  and  sprang  like  a  mountain  goat  on  to 
the  bow,  lighting  on  the  very  gunwale.  The  position 
was  not  tenable  an  instant,  but  he  extended  one  foot 
very  nimbly  and  boldty,  and  planted  it  on  the  other  gun- 
wale ;  and  there  he  was  in  a  moment,  headache  and  all, 
in  an  attitude  as  large  and  inspired  as  the  boldest  gest- 
ure antiquity  has  committed  to  marble :  he  had  even 
the  advantage  in  stature  over  most  of  the  sculptured 
forms  of  Greece.  But  a  double  opera-glass  at  his  eye 
"  spoiled  the  lot,"  as  Mr.  Punch  says. 

I  am  not  to  repeat  the  particulars  of  a  distant  race 
coming  nearer  and  nearer.  The  main  features  are  always 
the  same,  only  this  time  it  was  more  exciting  to  our  fair 
friends,  on  account  of  Edward's  high  stake  in  it.  And 
then  their  grateful  though  refractory  patient,  an  au- 
thority in  their  eyes,  indeed  all  but  a  river-god,  stood 


HARD   CASH.  65 

poised  in  air,  and  in  excited  whispers  interpreted  each 
distant  and  unintelligible  feature  down  to  them :  — 

"  Cambridge  was  off  quickest. 

"  But  not  much. 

"  Anybody's  race  at  present,  madam. 

"  If  this  lasts  long,  we  may  win.  None  of  them  can 
stay  like  us. 

"  Come,  the  favorite  is  not  so  very  dangerous. 

"  Cambridge  looks  best. 

"  I  wouldn't  change  with  either,  so  far. 

"  Kow,  in  forty  seconds  more,  I  shall  be  able  to  pick 
out  the  winner." 

Julia  went  up  this  ladder  of  thrills  to  a  high  state  of 
excitement ;  and,  indeed,  they  were  all  so  tuned  to  racing 
pitch,  that  some  metal  nerve  or  other  seemed  to  jar 
inside  all  three,  when  the  piercing,  grating  voice  of 
Kennet  broke  in  suddenly  with,  — 

"  How  do  you  construe  ynaTQifiaoyo;  ?  " 

The  wretch  had  burrowed  in  the  intellectual  ruins  of 
Greece  the  moment  the  pistol  went  off,  and  college  chat 
ceased.  Hardie  raised  his  opera-glass,  and  his  first  im- 
pulse was  to  brain  the  judicious  Kennet,  gazing  up  to 
him  for  an  answer,  with  spectacles  goggling  like  super- 
natural eyes  of  dead  sophists  in  the  san. 

"  How  do  you  construe  '  Hoc  age,'  you  incongruous 
dog  ?     Hold  your  tongue,  and  mind  the  race. 

"There,  I  thought  so.  Where's  your  three  to  one, 
now  ?  The  cockneys  are  out  of  this  event,  any  way. 
Go  on,  universities,  and  order  their  suppers  !  " 

"But  which  is  first,  sir?"  asked  Julia,  imploringly. 
"  Oh,  which  is  first  of  all  ?  " 

"  Neither.  Never  mind,  it  looks  well.  London  is 
pumped  ;  and  if  Cambridge  can't  lead  hira  before  this 
turn  in  the  river,  the  race  will  be  ours.  Now,  look  out! 
By  Jove,  we  are  ahead  /  " 


66  HARD   CASH. 

The  leading  boats  came  on,  Oxford  pulling  a  long, 
lofty,  sturdy  stroke,  that  seemed  as  if  it  never  could 
compete  with  the  quick  action  of  its  competitor.  Yet 
it  was  undeniably  ahead,  and  gaining  at  every  swing. 

Young  Hardie  writhed  on  his  perch.  He  screeched 
at  them  across  the  Thames,  "Well  pulled,  Stroke  !  Well 
pulled  all !  Splendidly  pulled,  Dodd  !  You  are  walking 
away  from  them  altogether.  Hurrah !  Oxford  forever, 
hurrah  ! "  The  gun  went  off  over  the  heads  of  the 
Oxford  crew  in  advance,  and  even  Mrs.  Dodd  and  Julia 
could  see  the  race  was  theirs. 

*'  We  have  Avon  at  last,"  cried  Julia,  all  on  fire,  "  and 
fairly  ;  only  think  of  that ! " 

Hardie  turned  round,  grateful  to  beauty  for  siding 
with  his  university.  "Yes,  and  tke  fools  may  thank 
me,  or  rather  my  man  Dodd.     Dodd  forever  !    Hurrah  ! " 

At  this  climax  even  Mrs.  Dodd  took  a  gentle  share  in 
the  youthful  enthusiasm  that  was  boiling  around  her, 
and  her  soft  eyes  sparkled,  and  she  returned  the  fervid 
pressure  of  her  daughter's  hand ;  and  both  their  faces 
were  flushed  with  gratified  pride  and  affection. 

"  Dodd ! "  broke  in  "  the  incongruous  dog,"  with  a 
voice  just  like  a  saw's ;  "  Dodd  ?  Ah,  that's  the  man 
who  is  just  ploughed  for  smalls." 

Ice  has  its  thunderbolts. 


HARD  CASH.  67 


CHAPTER  II. 

WixNixG  boat-races  was  all  very  fine ;  but  a  hundred 
such  victories  could  not  compensate  ^[r.  Kennet's  female 
hearers  for  one  such  defeat  as  he  had  announced,  —  a 
defeat  that,  to  their  minds,  carried  disgrace.  Their 
Edward  plucked  !  At  first  they  were  benumbed,  and 
sat  chilled,  with  red  cheeks,  bewildered  between  present 
trium})h  and  mortification  at  hand.  Then  the  color 
ebbed  out  of  their  faces,  and  they  encouraged  each  other 
feebly  in  whispers,  "  Might  it  not  be  a  mistake  ?  " 

But  unconscious  Kennet  robbed  them  of  this  timid 
hope.  He  was  now  in  his  element,  knew  all  about  it, 
rushed  into  details,  and  sawed  away  all  doubt  from  their 
minds.  The  sum  was  this.  Dodd's  general  performance 
was  mediocre,  but  passable :  he  was  plucked  for  his 
logic.  Hardie  said  he  was  very  sorry  for  it.  "What 
does  it  matter ?"  answered  Kennet;  "he  is  a  boating 
man." 

"  AVell,  and  I  am  a  boating  man.  Why,  you  told  me 
yourself,  the  other  day,  poor  Dodd  was  anxious  about  it 
on  account  of  his  friends.  And,  by-the-by,  that  reminds 
me,  they  say  he  has  got  two  pretty  sisters  here." 

Says  Kennet  briskly,  "I'll  go  and  tell  him;  I  know 
him  just  to  speak  to." 

"  What,  doesn't  he  know  ?  " 

"  How  can  he  know  ?  "  said  Kennet  jealously  ;  "  the 
testamurs  were  only  just  out  as  I  came  away."  And 
with  this  he  started  on  his  congenial  errand. 

Hardie  took  two  or  three  of  his  long  strides,  and  fairly 
collared  him.     "  You  will  do  nothing  of  the  kind." 


58  HARD  CASH. 

"  What,  not  tell  a  man  when  he's  ploughed  ?  That  is 
a  good  joke." 

"No;  there's  time  enough.  Tell  him  after  chapel 
to-morrow,  or  m  chapel,  if  you  must:  but  why  poison 
his  triumphal  cup  ?  And  his  sisters,  too,  why  spoil  their 
pleasure  ?  Hang  it  all,  not  a  word  about  '  ploughing ' 
to  any  living  soul  to-day  ! " 

To  his  surprise,  Rennet's  face  expressed  no  sympathy, 
nor  even  bare  assent.  At  this  Hardie  lost  patience,  and 
burst  out  impetiK)usly,  "Take  care  how  you  refuse  me; 
take  care  how  you  thwart  me  in  this.  He  is  the  best- 
natured  fellow  in  college.  It  doesn't  matter  to  you,  and 
it  does  to  him  ;  and  if  you  do,  then  take  my  name  off  the 
list  of  your  acquaintance,  for  I'll  never  speak  a  word  to 
you  again  in  this  world  ;  no,  not  on  my  death-bed,  by 
Heaven ! " 

The  threat  was  extravagant;  but  youth's  glowing  cheek 
and  eye,  and  imperious  lip,  and  simple  generosity,  made 
it  almost  beautifi;!. 

Rennet  whined,  "  Oh  !  if  you  talk  like  that,  there  is 
an  end  to  fair  argument." 

"End  it,  then  ;  and  promise  me,  upon  your  honor." 

'•'Why  not?  What  bosh!  There,  I  promise.  Now, 
how  do  you  construe  xii//t»'07?o(crr?/c  ?" 

The  incongruous  dog  ("  I  thank  thee,  Taff,  for  teaching 
me  that  word  ")  put  this  query  with  the  severity  of  an 
inquisitor  bringing  back  a  garrulous  prisoner  to  the 
point.  Hardie  replied  gayly,  "Any  way  you  like,  now 
you  are  a  good  fellow  again." 

"Come,  that  is  evasive.  My  tutor  says  it  cannot 
be   rendered   by  any  one  English  word ;   no  more  can 

"Why,  what  on  earth  can  he  know  about  English? 
ynaTQift(t()yo;  is  a  Cormorant;  xv/uivon()taTj]Q  is  a  Skinflint; 
and  your  tutor  is  a  Duffer.     Hush!     Reep  dark,  now! 


HAKD   CASH.  69 

here  he  comes."  And  he  went  hastily  to  meet  Edward 
Dodd,  and  by  that  means  intercepted  him  on  his  way  to 
the  carriage.  "Give  me  j'our  hand,  Dodd,"  he  cried; 
"you  have  saved  the  university.  You  must  be  stroke 
of  the  eight-oar  after  me.  Let  me  see  more  of  you  than 
I  have,  old  fellow." 

"With  all  my  heart,"  replied  Edward,  calmly,  but 
taking  the  offered  hand  cordially,  though  he  rather 
wanted  to  get  away  to  his  mother  and  sister.  "  We  will 
pull  together,  and  read  together  into  the  bargain,"  con- 
tinued Hardie. 

"Read  together  ?     You  and  I  ?     What  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"Well,  you  see,  I  am  pretty  well  up  in  the  higher 
books;  what  I  have  got  to  rub  up  is  my  divinity  and  my 
logic,  especially  my  logic.  Will  you  grind  logic  with 
me  ?     Say  'Yes,'  for  I  know  you  will  keep  your  word." 

"  It  is  too  good  an  offer  to  refuse,  Hardie ;  but  now  I 
look  at  you,  3'ou  are  excited,  wonderfully  excited,  with 
the  race,  eh  ?  Now,  just  —  you  —  wait  —  quietly  —  till 
next  week,  and  then  if  you  are  so  soft  as  to  ask  me  in 
cool  blood  "  — 

"Wait  a  week?"  cried  the  impetuous  youth.  "Xo, 
not  a  minute.  It  is  settled.  There,  we  cram  logic 
together  next  term." 

And  he  shook  Edward's  hand  again  with  glistening 
eyes  and  an  emotion  that  was  quite  unintelligible  to 
Edward  ;  but  not  to  the  quick,  sensitive  spirits,  who  sat 
but  fifteen  yards  off. 

"You  really  must  excuse  me  just  now,"  said  Edward, 
and  ran  to  the  carriage,  and  pvit  out  both  hands  to  the 
fair  occupants.  They  kissed  him  eagerly,  with  little 
tender  sighs ;  and  it  cost  them  no  slight  effort  not  to 
cry  publicly  over  "  the  beloved,"  "  the  victorious,"  "  the 
ploughed." 

Young  Hardie  stood  petrified.     What  ?   these  ladies 


60  HARD   CASH. 

Dodd's  sisters  !  Why,  one  of  them  had  called  the  otlier 
mamma.  Good  Heavens !  all  his  talk  in  their  hearing 
had  been  of  Dodd;  and  Kennet  and  he  between  them 
had  let  out  the  very  thing  he  wanted  to  conceal,  espe- 
ciall}'-  from  Dodd's  relations.  He  gazed  at  them,  and 
turned  hot  to  the  very  forehead.  Then,  not  knowing 
what  to  do  or  say,  and  being,  after  all,  but  a  clever  boy, 
not  a  cool  "never  unready  "  man  of  the  world,  he  slipped 
away,  blushing.     Kennet  followed,  goggling. 

Left  to  herself,  Mrs.  Dodd  Avould  have  broken  the  bad 
news  to  Edward  at  once,  and  taken  the  line  of  consoling 
him  under  her  own  vexation :  it  would  not  have  been 
the  first  time  that  she  had  played  that  card.  But  young 
Mr.  Hardie  had  said  it  would  be  unkind  to  poison  Edward's 
day,  and  it  is  sweet  woman's  nature  to  follow  suit ;  so 
she  and  Julia  put  bright  faces  on,  and  Edward  passed  a 
right  jocund  afternoon  with  them ;  he  was  not  allowed 
to  surprise  one  of  the  looks  they  interchanged  to  relieve 
their  secret  mortification.  But,  after  dinner,  as  the  time 
drew  near  for  him  to  go  back  to  Oxford,  INfrs.  Dodd  became 
silent  and  a  little  distraite ;  and  at  last  drew  her  chair 
away  to  a  small  table,  and  wrote  a  letter. 

In  directing  it  she  turned  it  purposely,  so  that  Julia 
could  catch  the  address  :  "  Edward  Dodd,  Esq.,  Exeter 
Collcfje,  Oxford^ 

Julia  was  naturally  startled  at  first,  and  her  eye  roved 
almost  comically  to  and  fro  the  letter  and  its  destination 
seated  calm  and  unconscious  of  woman's  beneficent  wiles. 
But  her  heart  soon  divined  the  mystery ;  it  was  to  reach 
him  the  first  thing  in  the  morning,  and  spare  him  the 
pain  of  writing  the  news  to  them ;  and,  doubtless,  so 
Avorded  as  not  to  leave  him  a  day  in  doubt  of  their  for- 
giveness and  sympath}-. 

Julia  took  the  missive,  unobserved  by  the  destination, 
and  glided  out  of  the  room  to  get  it  quietly  posted. 


HARD   CASH.  61 

The  servant  girl  was  waiting  on  the  second-floor  lodgers, 
and  told  her  so,  with  a  significant  addition  ;  viz.,  that  the 
post  was  in  this  street,  and  only  a  few  doors  off.  Julia 
was  a  little  surprised  at  her  coolness,  but  took  the  hint 
with  perfect  good  temper,  and  just  put  on  her  shawl  and 
bonnet,  and  went  with  it  herself.  The  post-office  was 
not  quite  so  near  as  represented ;  but  she  was  soon  there, 
for  she  was  eager  till  she  had  posted  it ;  but  she  came 
back  slowly  and  thoughtfully ;  here  in  the  street,  lighted 
only  by  the  moon,  and  an  occasional  gas-light,  there  was 
no  need  of  self-restraint,  and  soon  her  mortification  be- 
trayed itself  in  her  speaking  countenance.  And  to  think 
that  her  mother,  on  whom  she  doted,  should  have  to  write 
to  her  son,  there  present,  and  post  the  letter !  This  made 
her  eyes  fill,  and  before  she  reached  the  door  of  the  lodg- 
ing, they  were  brimming  over. 

As  she  put  her  foot  on  the  step,  a  timid  voice  addressed 
her  in  a  low  tone  of  supplication.  "May  I  venture  to 
speak  one  word  to  you,  Miss  Dodd  ?  one  single  word?  " 

She  looked  up  surprised ;  and  it  was  young  Mr.  Hardie. 

His  tall  figure  was  bending  towards  her  submissively, 
and  his  face,  as  well  as  his  utterance,  betrayed  consider- 
able agitation. 

And  what  led  to  so  unusual  a  renco7itre  between  a 
young  gentleman  and  lady  who  had  never  been  intro- 
duced ? 

"  The  tender  passion,"  says  a  reader  of  many  novels. 

Why,  yes ;  the  tenderest  in  all  our  nature,  — 

Wounded  vanity. 

Naturally  proud  and  sensitive,  and  inflated  by  success 
and  flattery,  Alfred  Hardie  had  been  torturing  himself 
ever  since  he  fled  Edward's  female  relations.  He  was 
mortified  to  the  core.  He  confounded  "the  fools"  (his 
favorite  synonym  for  his  acquaintance)  for  going  and 
calling  Dodd's  mother  an  elder  sister,  and  so  not  giving 


63  HARD  CASH. 

him  a  chance  to  divine  her.  And  then  that  he,  who 
prided  himself  on  his  discrimination,  should  take  them 
for  ladies  of  rank,  or,  at  all  events,  of  the  highest  fashion; 
and,  climax  of  humiliation,  that  so  great  a  man  as  he 
should  go  and  seem  to  court  them  by  praising  Dodd  of 
Exeter,  by  enlarging  upon  Dodd  of  Exetei*,  by  offering 
to  grind  logic  with  Dodd  of  Exeter.  Who  would  believe 
that  this  was  a  coincidence,  a  mere  coincidence  ?  They 
could  not  be  expected  to  believe  it;  female  vanity  would 
not  let  them.  He  tingled,  and  was  not  far  from  hating 
the  whole  family ;  so  bitter  a  thing  is  that  which  I  have 
ventured  to  dub  "the  tenderest  passion."  He  itched  to 
soothe  his  irritation  by  explaining  to  Edward.  Dodd 
was  a  frank,  good-hearted  fellow ;  he  would  listen  to 
facts,  and  convince  the  ladies  in  turn.  Hardie  learned 
where  Dodd's  party  lodged,  and  waited  about  the  door 
to  catch  him  alone.  Dodd  must  be  in  college  b}^  twelve, 
and  would  leave  Henley  before  ten.  He  waited  till  he 
was  tired  of  waiting;  but  at  last  the  door  opened.  He 
stepped  forward,  and  out  tripped  Miss  Dodd.  ''Confound 
it ! "  muttered  Hardie,  and  drew  back.  However,  he 
stood  and  admired  her  graceful  figure  and  action,  her 
ladylike  speed  without  bustling.  Had  she  come  back  at 
the  same  pace,  he  would  never  have  ventured  to  stop 
her:  on  such  a  thread  do  things  hang;  but  she  returned 
very  slowlv  hanging  her  head.  Her  look  at  him  and  his 
headache  recurred  to  him,  a  look  brimful  of  goodness. 
She  would  do  as  well  as  Edward,  better  perhaps.  He 
yielded  to  impulse,  and  addressed  her,  but  with  all  the 
trepidation  of  a  youth  defying  the  giant  etiquette  for  the 
first  time  in  his  life. 

Julia  was  a  little  surprised  and  fluttered,  but  did  not 
betray  it.  She  had  been  taught  self-command  by  example, 
if  not  by  precept. 

"Certainly,  Mr.  Hardie,"  said  she,  with  a  modest  com- 


HARD   CASH.  63 

posure  a  young  coquette  might  have  envied  under  the 
circumstances. 

Hardie  had  now  only  to  explain  himself;  but  instead 
of  that,  he  stood  looking  at  her  with  silent  concern.  The 
fair  face  she  raised  to  him  was  wet  with  tears ;  so  were 
her  eyeSj  and  even  the  glorious  eyelashes  were  fringed 
with  that  tender  spray ;  and  it  glistened  in  the  moonlight. 

This  sad  and  pretty  sight  drove  the  vain  but  generous 
youth's  calamity  clean  out  of  his  head.  "  Why,  you  are 
crj^ng !  Miss  Dodd,  what  is  the  matter  ?  I  hope  noth- 
ing has  happened." 

Julia  turned  her  head  away  a  little  fretfully,  with  a 
"No,  no."  But  soon  her  natural  candor  and  simplicity 
prevailed :  a  simplicity  not  without  dignity.  She  turned 
round  to  him,  and  looked  him  in  the  face.  "Why  should 
I  deny  it  to  you,  sir,  who  have  been  good  enough  to  sym- 
pathize with  us  ?  We  are  mortified,  sadly  mortified,  at  dear 
Edward's  disgrace ;  and  it  has  cost  us  a  struggle  not  to 
disobey  you,  and  j-joiso^i  his  trhimplial  cup  with  sad  looks. 
And  mamma  had  to  write  to  him,  and  console  him  against 
to-morrow ;  but  I  hope  he  will  not  feel  it  so  severely  as 
she  does ;  and  I  have  just  posted  it  myself,  and,  when  I 
thought  of  our  dear  mamma  being  driven  to  such  expedi- 
ents, I  —  oh ! "  And  the  pure  young  heart,  having  opened 
itself  by  words,  must  flow  a  little  more. 

"  Oh !  pray,  don't  cry,"  said  3'oung  Hardie,  tenderly ; 
"don't  take  such  a  trifle  to  heart  so.  You  crying  makes 
me  feel  guilty  for  letting  it  happen.  It  shall  never  occur 
again.  If  I  had  only  known,  it  should  never  have  hap- 
pened at  all." 

"Once  is  enough,"  sighed  Julia. 

"  Indeed  you  take  it  too  much  to  heart ;  it  is  only  out 
of  Oxford  a  plough  is  thought  much  of,  especially  a  single 
one,  that  is  so  very  common.  You  see,  Miss  Dodd,  an 
university  examination  consists  of  several  items;  neglect 


64  HARD   CASH. 

but  one,  and  Crichton  liimself  would  be  ploughed ;  because 
brilliancy  in  your  other  papers  is  not  allowed  to  count ; 
that  is  how  the  most  distinguished  man  of  our  day  got 
ploughed  for  smalls.  I  had  a  narrow  escape,  I  know,  for 
one.  But,  Miss  Dodd,  if  you  knew  how  far  your  brother's 
performance  on  the  river  outweighs  a  mere  slip  in  the 
schools  in  all  univ^ersity  men's  eyes,  the  dons'  and  all, 
you  would  not  make  this  bright  day  end  sadly  to  Oxford 
by  crying.  Why,  I  could  find  you  a  thousand  men  who 
would  be  ploughed  to-morrow  with  glory  and  delight  to 
win  one  such  race  as  your  brother  has  won  two." 

Julia  sighed  again.  But  it  sounded  now  half  like  a 
sigh  of  relief;  the  final  sigh,  with  which  the  fair  consent 
to  be  consoled. 

And,  indeed,  this  improvement  in  the  music  did  not 
escape  Hardie ;  he  felt  he  was  on  the  right  tack.  He 
enumerated  fluently,  and  by  name,  many  good  men, 
besides  Dean  Swift,  who  had  been  ploughed,  yet  had 
cultivated  the  field  of  letters  in  their  turn ;  and,  in  short, 
he  was  so  earnest  and  plausible,  that  something  like  a 
smile  hovered  about  his  hearer's  lips,  and  she  glanced 
askant  at  him  with  furtive  gratitude  from  under  her 
silky  lashes.  But  it  soon  recurred  to  her  that  this  was 
rather  a  long  interview  to  accord  to  "  a  stranger,"  and 
under  the  moon ;  so  she  said  a  little  stiffly,  "  And  was 
this  what  you  were  good  enough  to  wish  to  say  to  me, 
Mr.  Hardie  ?  " 

"No,  Miss  Dodd,  to  be  frank,  it  was  not.  My  motive 
in  addressing  you,  without  the  right  to  take  such  a  free- 
dom, was  egotistical.  I  came  here  to  clear  myself.  I — 
I  was  afraid  you  must  think  me  a  humbug,  you  knoAV." 

"I  do  not  understand  you,  indeed." 

"Well,  I  feared  you  and  Mrs.  Dodd  might  think  1 
praised  Dodd  so,  and  did  what  little  I  did  for  him,  know- 
ing who  you  were,  and  wishing  to  curry  favor  with  you 


HARD  CASH.  Go 

by  all  that ;  and  that  is  so  underhand  and  paltry  a  Avay 
of  going  to  work,  I  should  despise  myself." 

"O  Mr.  Hardie!"  said  the  young  lady,  smiling,  ''how- 
foolish  !     Why,  of  course  we  knew  you  had  no  idea." 

"  Indeed  I  had  not ;  but  how  could  you  know  it  ?  " 

"  Why,  we  saw  it.  Do  you  think  we  have  no  eyes  ? 
ah !  and  much  keener  ones  than  gentlemen  have.  It  is 
mamma  and  I  who  are  to  blame,  if  anybody ;  we  ought 
to  have  declared  ourselves ;  it  would  have  been  more 
generous,  more  —  manly.  But  we  cannot  all  be  gentle- 
men, you  know.  It  was  so  sweet  to  hear  Edward  praised 
by  one  who  did  not  know  us :  it  was  like  stolen  fruit ; 
and  by  one  whom  others  praise ;  so,  if  you  can  forgive 
us  our  slyness,  there  is  an  end  of  the  matter." 

"Forgive  you?  you  have  taken  a  thorn  out  of  my 
soul." 

"  Then,  I  am  so  glad  you  summoned  courage  to  speak 
to  me  without  ceremony.  Mamma  would  have  done 
better  though ;  but,  after  all,  do  not  I  know  her  ?  My 
mamma  is  all  goodness  and  intelligence ;  and  be  assured, 
sir,  she  does  you  justice  ;  and  is  quite  sensible  of  your 
disinterested  kindness  to  dear  Edward."  With  this  she 
was  about  to  retire. 

"  Ah !  But  you,  IVIiss  Dodd  ?  with  whom  I  have  taken 
this  unwarrantable  libert}'  ?  "  said  Hardie,  imploringly. 

"  Me,  iNIr.  Hardie  ?  you  do  me  the  honor  to  require 
my  opinion  of  your  performances,  including,  of  course, 
this  self-introduction  ?  " 

Hardie  hung  his  head ;  there  was  a  touch  of  satire  in 
the  lady's  voice,  he  thought. 

•  Her  soft  eyes  rested  demurely  on  him  a  moment ;  she 
saw  he  was  a  little  abashed. 

"  My  opinion  of  it  all  is  that  you  have  been  very  kind 
to  us,  in  being  most  kind  to  our  poor  Edward.     1  never 
saw  nor  read  of  anything  more  generous,  more  manly. 
6 


66  HARD   CASH. 

And  then,  so  thoughtful,  so  considerate,  so  delicate  !  So, 
instead  of  criticising  you,  as  you  seem  to  expect,  his 
sister  only  blesses  you,  and  thanks  you  from  the  very 
bottom  of  her  heart." 

She  had  begun  with  a  polite  composure  borrowed  from 
mamma;  but,  once  launched,  her  ardent  nature  got  the 
better ;  her  color  rose  and  rose,  and  her  voice  sank  and 
sank,  and  the  last  words  came  almost  in  a  whisper;  and 
such  a  lovely  whisper :  a  gurgle  from  the  heart ;  and, 
as  she  concluded,  her  delicate  hand  came  sweeping  out 
with  a  heaven-taught  gesture  of  large  and  sovereign  cor- 
diality, that  made  even  the  honest  words  and  the  divine 
tones  more  eloquent.  It  was  too  much  ;  the  young  man, 
ardent  as  herself,  and  not,  in  reality,  half  so  timorous, 
caught  fire ;  and,  seeing  a  white,  eloquent  hand  rather 
near  him,  caught  it,  and  pressed  his  warm  lipB  on  it  in 
mute  adoration  and  gratitude. 

At  this  she  was  scared  and  offended.  "  Oh  !  keep  that 
for  the  Queen ! "  cried  she,  turning  scarlet,  and  tossing 
her  fair  head  into  the  air,  like  a  startled  stag,  and  she 
drew  her  hand  away  quickly  and  decidedly,  though  not 
roughly.  He  stammered  a  lowly  apology ;  in  the  very 
middle  of  it  she  said  quietly,  *'Good-by,  Mr.  Hardie," 
and  swept  with  a  gracious  little  courtesy  through  the 
doorway,  leaving  him  spellbound. 

And  so  the  virginal  instinct  of  self-defence  carried  her 
off  swiftly  and  cleverly.  But  none  too  soon ;  for,  on 
entering  the  house,  that  external  composure  her  two 
mothers,  Mesdames  Dodd  and  Nature,  had  taught  her, 
fell  from  her  like  a  veil,  and  she  fluttered  up  the  stairs 
to  her  own  room  with  hot  cheeks,  and  panted  there  like 
some  wild  thing  that  has  been  grasped  at  and  grazed. 
She  felt  young  Hardie's  lips  upon  the  palm  of  her  hand 
plainly ;  they  seemed  to  linger  there  still ;  it  was  like 
light,  but  live  velvet.     This,  and  the  ardent  look  he  had 


HARD   CASH.  67 

poured  into  her  eyes,  set  the  3'oung  creature  quivering. 
Nobody  had  looked  at  her  so  before,  and  no  young  gentle- 
man had  imprinted  living  velvet  on  her  hand.  She  was 
alarmed,  ashamed,  and  uneasy.  What  right  had  he  to 
look  at  her  like  that  ?  What  shadow  of  a  right  to  go 
and  kiss  her  hand  ?  He  could  not  pretend  to  think  she 
had  put  it  out  to  be  kissed  ;  ladies  put  forth  the  back  of 
the  hand  for  that,  not  the  palm.  The  truth  was,  he  was 
an  impudent  fellow,  and  she  hated  him  now,  and  herself 
too,  for  being  so  simple  as  to  let  him  talk  to  her;  mamma 
would  not  have  been  so  imprudent  when  she  was  a  girl. 

She  would  not  go  down,  for  she  felt  there  must  be 
something  of  this  kind  legibly  branded  on  her  face  :  "  Oh  ! 
oh  !  just  look  at  this  young  lady  !  She  has  been  letting 
a  young  gentleman  kiss  the  palm  of  her  hand  ;  and  the 
feel  has  not  gone  off  yet ;  you  may  see  that  by  her 
cheeks." 

But,  then,  poor  Edward  !  she  must  go  down. 

So  she  put  a  wet  towel  to  her  tell-tale  cheeks,  and 
dried  them  by  artistic  dabs,  avoiding  friction,  and  came 
down-stairs  like  a  mouse,  and  turned  the  door-handle 
noiselessly,  and  glided  into  the  sitting-room  looking  so 
transparent,  conscious,  and  all  on  fire  with  beauty  and 
animation,  that  even  Edward  was  startled,  and,  in  a 
whisper,  bade  his  mother  observe  what  a  pretty  girl  she 
was ;  "  Beats  all  the  county  girls  in  a  canter."  Mrs. 
Dodd  did  look ;  and,  consequently,  as  soon  as  ever 
Edward  was  gone  to  Oxford,  she  said  to  Julia,  "  You  are 
feverish,  love ;  you  have  been  excited  with  all  this. 
You  had  better  go  to  bed." 

Julia  complied  willingly,  for  she  wanted  to  be  alone 
and  think.  She  retired  to  her  own  room,  and  went  the 
whole  day  over  again  ;  and  was  happy  and  sorry,  exalted 
and  uneasy,  by  turns ;  and  ended  by  excusing  Mr. 
Hardie's  escapade,  and  throwing  the  blame  on  herself. 


68  HARD   CASH. 

She  ought  to  have  been  more  distant ;  gentlemen  were 
not  expected,  nor,  indeed,  much  wanted,  to  be  modest. 
A  little  assurance  did  not  misbecome  them.  "  Really,  1 
think  it  sets  them  off,-'  said  she  to  herself. 

Grand  total :  "  What  vmst  he  think  of  me  ?  " 

Time  gallops  in  reverie  ;  the  town  clock  struck  twelve, 
and  with  its  iron  tongue,  remorse  entered  her  youthful 
conscience.  Was  this  obeying  mamma  ?  Mamma  had 
said,  "  Go  to  bed,"  not,  "  Go  up-stairs  and  meditate  upon 
young  gentlemen."  She  gave  an  expressive  shake  of  her 
fair  shoulders,  like  a  swan  flapping  the  water  off  its 
downy  wings,  and  so  dismissed  the  subject  from  her 
mind. 

Then  she  said  her  prayers. 

Then  she  rose  from  her  knees,  and,  in  tones  of  honey, 
said,  "  Puss  !  puss  !  pretty  puss  !  "  and  awaited  a  result. 

Thieves  and  ghosts  she  did  not  believe  in,  yet  credited 
cats  under  beds,  and  thought  them  neither  "  harmless  " 
nor  "  necessary  "  there. 

After  tenderly  evoking  the  dreaded  and  chimerical 
quadruped,  she  proceeded  none  the  less  to  careful  re- 
search, especially  of  cupboards.  The  door  of  one  resisted, 
and  then  yielded  with  a  crack,  and  blew  out  the  candle. 
"  There  now,"  said  she. 

It  was  her  only  light,  except  her  beauty.  They  allotted 
each  Hebe  but  one  candle,  in  that  ancient  burgh.  "  Well," 
she  thought,  "there  is  moonlight  enough  to  t<wdress  by." 
She  went  to  draw  back  one  of  the  curtains ;  but  in  the 
act  she  started  back  with  a  little  scream.  There  was  a 
tall  figure  over  the  way  watching  the  house. 

The  moon  shone  from  her  side  of  the  street  full  on 
him,  and  in  that  instant  her  quick  eye  recognized  Mr. 
Hardie. 

"Well!"  said  she  aloud,  and  with  an  indescribable 
inflection ;  and  hid  herself  swiftly  in  impenetrable 
gloom. 


HARD   CASH.  69 

But,  after  awhile,  Eve's  daughter  must  have  a  peep. 
She  stole  with  iuHiiite  caution  to  one  side  of  the  curtain, 
and  made  an  aperture  just  big  enough  for  one  bright  eye. 
Yes,  there  he  was,  motionless.  "  I'll  tell  mamma,"  said 
she  to  him,  malignantly,  as  if  the  sound  could  reach  him. 

Unconscious  of  the  direful  threat,  he  did  not  budge. 

She  was  unaffectedly  puzzled  at  this  phenomenon ; 
and,  not  being  the  least  vain,  fell  to  wondering  whether 
he  played  the  nightly  sentinel  opposite  every  lady's  win- 
dow, who  exchanged  civilities  with  him.  "Because,  if 
he  does,  he  is  a  fool,"  said  she,  promptly.  But  on  re- 
flection, she  felt  sure  he  did  nothing  of  the  kind  habitu- 
ally, for  he  had  too  high  an  opinion  of  himself;  she  had 
noted  that  trait  in  him  at  a  very  early  stage.  She  satis- 
fied herself,  by  cautious  examination,  that  he  did  not 
know  her  room.  He  was  making  a  temple  of  the  whole 
lodging.  "How  ridiculous  of  him  !  "  Yet  he  appeared 
to  be  happy  over  it ;  there  was  an  exalted  look  on  his 
moonlit  face  :  she  seemed  now  first  to  see  his  soul  there. 
She  studied  his  countenance  like  an  inscription,  and 
deciphered  each  rapt  expression  that  crossed  it,  and 
stored  them  in  her  memory. 

Twice  she  left  her  ambuscade  to  go  to  bed;  and  twice 
curiosity,  or  something,  drew  her  back.  At  last,  having 
looked,  peered,  and  peeped,  till  her  feet  were  cold,  and 
her  face  the  reverse,  she  informed  herself  that  the  fool- 
ish thing  had  tired  her  out. 

"  Good-night,  ISLr.  Policeman,"  said  she,  pretending  to 
bawl  to  him.  "And,  oh,  do  rain  !  As  hard  as  ever  you 
can."  With  this  benevolent  aspiration,  a  little  too  vio- 
lent to  be  sincere,  she  laid  her  cheek  on  her  pillow 
doughtily. 

But  her  sentinel,  when  out  of  sight,  had  more  power 
to  disturb  her.  She  lay  and  wondered  whether  he  was 
still  there,  and  what  it  all  meant,  and  whatever  mamma 


70  HARD   CASH. 

would  say ;  and  which  of  the  two,  she  or  he,  was  the 
head  culprit  in  this  strange  performance,  to  which  earth, 
slie  conceived,  had  seen  no  parallel;  and,  above  all,  what 
he  would  do  next.  Her  pulse  galloped,  and  her  sleep 
was  broken,  and  she  came  down  in  the  morning  a  little 
pale.  Mrs.  Dodd  saw  it  at  once,  with  the  quick  materual 
eye,  and  moralized  :  "  It  is  curious  ;  youth  is  so  fond  of 
pleasure ;  yet  pleasure  seldom  agrees  with  youth ;  this 
little  excitement  has  done  your  mother  good,  who  is  no 
longer  young;  but  it  has  been  too  much  for  you.  I 
shall  be  glad  to  have  you  back  to  our  quiet  home." 
Ah !     Will  that  home  be  as  tranquil  now  ? 


HARD   CASH.  71 


CHAPTER   111. 

The  long  vacation  commenced  about  a  month  after- 
wards, and  Hardie  came  to  his  t'atlier's  house,  to  read  lor 
honors,  unimpeded  by  university  races  and  college  lect- 
ures ;  and  the  ploughed  and  penitent  one  packed  up  his 
Aldrich  and  his  Whately,  the  then  authorities  in  logic, 
and  brought  them  home,  together  with  a  tirm  resolution 
to  master  that  joyous  science  before  the  next  examina- 
tion for  smalls  in  October.  But,  lo  !  ere  he  had  been  an 
hour  at  home,  he  found  his  things  put  neatly  away  in  his 
drawers  on  the  feminine  or  vertical  system  —  deep  strata 
of  waistcoats,  strata  of  trousers,  strata  of  coats,  strata  of 
papers  —  and  his  logic  gone. 

In  the  course  of  the  evening  he  taxed  his  sister  good- 
humoredly,  and  asked  "  what  earthly  use  that  book  was 
to  her,  not  wearing  curls." 

"  I  intend  to  read  it,  and  study  it,  and  teach  you  it," 
replied  Julia,  rather  languidly  —  considering  the  weight 
of  the  resolve. 

"  Oh,  if  you  have  boned  it  to  read,  1  say  no  more  ;  the 
crime  will  punish  itself." 

"  Be  serious,  Edward,  and  think  of  mamma  I  1  cannot 
sit  with  my  hands  before  me,  and  let  you  be  reploughed." 

"I  don't  want.  But  —  reploughed!  haw,  haw!  but 
you  can't  help  me  at  logic  as  you  used  at  syntax.  Why, 
all  the  world  knows  a  girl  can't  learn  logic." 

"A  girl  can  learn  anything  she  chooses  to  learn. 
What  she  can't  learn  is  things  other  people  set  her  down 
to."  Before  Edward  could  fully  digest  this  revelation, 
she  gave  the  argument  a  new  turn,  by  adding  fretfully, 


72  HARD   CASH. 

"  And  don't  be  so  unkind,  thwarting  and  teasing  me  ! " 
and  all  in  a  moment  she  was  crying. 

"  Halloa ! "  ejaculated  Edward,  taken  quite  by  sur- 
prise. "  What  is  the  matter,  dears  ?  "  inquired  maternal 
vigilance  from  the  other  end  of  the  room.  "  You  did 
not  speak  brusquely  to  her,  Edward  ?  " 

"No,  no,"  said  Julia  eagerly.  "It  is  I  that  am 
turned  so  cross  and  so  peevish.  I  am  quite  a  changed  girl. 
Mamma,  what  is  the  matter  with  me  ?  "  And  she  laid 
her  brow  on  her  mother's  bosom. 

Mrs.  Dodd  caressed  the  lovely  head  soothingly  with 
one  hand,  and  made  a  sign  over  it  to  Edward  to  leave 
them  alone.  She  waited  quietly  till  Julia  was  composed, 
and  then  said  softly,  "  Come,  tell  me  what  it  is ;  nothing 
that  Edward  said  to  you,  for  I  heard  almost  every  word, 
and  I  was  just  going  to  smile,  or  nearly,  when  you — 
And,  my  love,  it  is  not  the  first  time,  you  know ;  I  would 
not  tell  Edward,  but  I  have  more  than  once  seen  your 
eyes  with  tears  in  thenv." 

"  Have  you,  mamma  ?  "  said  Julia,  scarcely  above  a 
whisper. 

"  AVhy,  you  know  I  have.  But  I  said  to  myself  it  was 
no  use  forcing  confidence.  I  thought  I  would  be  very 
patient,  and  wait  till  you  came  to  me  with  it;  so  now, 
what  is  it,  my  darling  ?  Why  do  you  speak  of  one  thing 
and  think  of  another,  and  cry  without  any  reason  that 
your  mother  can  see  ?  " 

"I  don't  know,  mamma,"  said  Julia,  hiding  her  head. 
"  I  think  it  is  because  I  sleep  so  badly.  I  rise  in  the 
morning  hot  and  quivering,  and  more  tired  than  I  lay 
down." 

Mrs.  Dodd  inquired  how  long  this  had  been. 

Julia  did  not  answer  this  question ;  she  went  on,  with 
her  face  still  hidden,  "Mamma,  I  do  feel  so  depressed 
and  hysterical,  or  else  in  violent  spirits;  but  not  nice 


HARD  CASH.  73 

and  cheerful  as  you  are,  and  I  used  to  be  ;  and  I  go  from 
one  thing  to  another,  and  can  settle  to  nothing ;  even  in 
church  I  attend  by  fits  and  starts :  I  forgot  to  water  my 
very  flowers  last  night,  and  I  heard  Mrs.  INlaxley  out  of 
my  window  tell  Sarah  I  am  losing  my  color.  Am  I  ? 
But  what  does  it  matter  ?  I  am  losing  my  sense,  for  I 
catch  myself  forever  looking  in  the  glass,  and  that  is  a 
sure  sign  of  a  fool,  you  know ;  and  I  cannot  pass  the 
shops  ;  I  stand  and  look  in,  and  long  for  the  very  dearest 
silks,  and  for  diamonds  in  my  hair."  A  deep  sigh  fol- 
lowed the  confession  of  these  multiform  imperfections  ; 
and  the  culprit  half  i-aised  her  head  to  watch  their  effect. 

As  for  Mrs.  Dodd,  she  opened  her  eyes  wide  with  sur- 
prise ;  but  at  the  end  of  the  heterogeneous  catalogue  she 
smiled,  and  said,  "I  cannot  believe  tJiat.  If  ever  there 
was  a  young  lady  free  from  personal  vanity,  it  is  my 
Julia.  Why,  your  thoughts  run  by  nature  away  from 
yourself ;  you  were  born  for  others." 

Her  daughter  kissed  her  gratefully,  and  smiled :  bi;t, 
after  a  pause,  said  sorrowfully,  "  Ah,  that  was  the  old 
Julia,  as  seen  with  your  dear  eyes.  I  have  almost  for- 
gotten her.  The  new  one  is  what  I  tell  you,  dear  mamma, 
and  that  (with  sudden  ferv^or)  is  a  dreamy,  wandering, 
vain,  egotistical,  hysterical,  abominable  girl." 

"  Let  me  kiss  this  m.onster  that  I  have  brought  into 
the  world,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd.  "  And  now  let  me  think." 
She  rested  her  eyes  calm  and  penetrating  upon  her 
daughter ;  and  at  this  mere  look,  but  a  very  searching 
one,  the  color  mounted  and  mounted  in  Julia's  cheek 
strangely. 

"After  all,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd,  thoughtfully,  "yours  is 
a  critical  age  ;  perhaps  my  child  is  turning  to  a  woman  ; 
my  rosebud  to  a  rose."  And  she  sighed.  Mothers  will 
sigh  at  things  none  other  ever  sighed  at. 

"  To  a  weed,  I  fear,"  replied  Julia.     "  What  will  you 


74  HARD  CASH. 

say  when  I  own  I  felt  no  real  joy  at  Edward's  return 
this  time  ?  And  yesterday  I  cried,  '  Do  get  away,  and 
don't  pester  me  ! '  " 

"  To  your  brother  ?     Oh ! " 

"Oh,  no !  mamma,  that  was  to  poor  Spot.  He  jumped 
on  me  in  a  i-everie,  all  affection,  poor  thing." 

"  Well,  for  your  comfort,  dogs  do  not  appreciate  the 
niceties  of  our  language." 

"  I  am  afraid  they  do  ;  when  we  kick  them." 

Mrs.  Dodd  smiled  at  the  admission  implied  here,  and 
the  deep  penitence  it  was  uttered  with.  But  Julia  re- 
monstrated, "  Oh,  no  !  no !  don't  laugh  at  me,  but  help 
me  with  your  advice  :  you  are  so  wise  and  so  experienced : 
you  must  have  been  a  girl  before  you  were  an  angel. 
You  must  know  what  is  the  matter  with  me.  Oh,  do  pray 
cure  me ;  or  else  kill  me,  for  I  cannot  go  on  like  this,  all 
my  affections  deadened,  and  my  peace  disturbed." 

And  now  the  mother  looked  serious  and  thoughtful 
enough ;  and  the  daughter  watched  her  furtively.  "  Julia," 
said  Mrs.  Dodd,  very  gravely,  ''  if  it  was  not  my  child, 
reared  under  my  eye,  and  never  separated  from  me  a  single 
day,  I  should  say  this  young  lady  is  either  afflicted  with 
some  complaint,  and  it  affects  her  nerves  and  spirits; 
or  else  she  has  —  she  is  —  what  inexperienced  young 
people  call  '  in  love.'  You  need  not  look  so  frightened, 
child  ;  nobody  in  their  senses  suspects  you  of  imprudence 
or  indelicacy ;  and  therefore  I  feel  quite  sure  that  your 
constitution  is  at  a  crisis,  or  your  health  has  suffered 
some  shock :  pray  Heaven  it  may  not  be  a  serious  one. 
You  will  have  the  best  advice,  and  without  delay,  I 
promise  you." 

That  very  evening,  Mrs.  Dodd  sent  a  servant  into  the 
town  with  a  note  like  a  cocked-hat  for  Mr.  Osmond,  a 
consulting  surgeon,  Avho  bore  a  high  reputation  in  Bark- 
ington.     He   came ;    and   proved   too   plump    for   that 


HARD   CASH.  75 

complete  elegance  she  would  have  desired  in  a  medical 
attendant,  but  had  a  soft  hand,  a  gentle  touch,  and  a 
subdued  manner.  He  spoke  to  the  patient  with  a  kind- 
ness which  won  the  mother  directly ;  had  every  hope  of 
setting  her  right  without  any  violent  or  disagreeable 
remedies ;  but,  when  she  had  retired,  altered  his  tone ; 
and  told  Mrs.  Dodd  seriously  she  had  done  well  to  send 
for  him  in  time;  it  was  a  case  of  ''hyperaesthesia" 
(Mrs.  Dodd  clasped  her  hands  in  alarm),  "  or,  as  unpro- 
fessional persons  would  say,  '  excessive  sensibility.'  " 

Mrs.  Dodd  was  somewhat  relieved.  Translation  blunts 
thunderbolts.  She  told  him  she  had  always  feared  for 
her  child  on  that  score.  But  was  sensibility  curable  ? 
Could  a  nature  be  changed  ? 

He  replied  that  the  idiosyncrasy  could  not;  but  its 
morbid  excess  could,  especially  when  taken  in  time. 
Advice  was  generally  called  in  too  late.  However,  here 
the  only  serious  symptom  was  the  insomnia.  "  We  must 
treat  her  for  that,"  said  he,  writing  a  prescription;  "but 
for  the  rest,  active  employment,  long  walks,  or  rides, 
and  a  change  of  scene  and  associations,  will  be  all  that 
will  be  required.  In  these  cases,"  resumed  Mr.  Osmond, 
"connected  as  they  are  with  hypersemia,  some  medical 
men  consider  moderate  venesection  to  be  indicated." 
He  then  put  on  his  gloves,  saying,  "  The  diet,  of  course, 
must  be  antiphlogistic.  Let  us  say  then,  for  breakfast, 
dry  toast  with  very  little  butter  —  no  coffee  —  cocoa 
(from  the  nibs),  or  weak  tea:  for  luncheon,  beef-tea  or 
mutton-broth :  for  dinner,  a  slice  of  roast  chicken,  and 
tapioca  or  semolina  pudding.  I  would  give  her  one  glass 
of  sherry,  but  no  more,  and  barley-water;  it  would  be  as 
well  to  avoid  brown  meats,  at  all  events  for  the  present. 
With  these  precautions,  my  dear  madam,  I  think  your 
anxiety  will  soon  be  happily  removed." 

Julia  took  her  long  walks  and  light  diet ;  and  became 


76  HARD   CASH. 

a  little  pale  at  times,  and  had  fewer  bursts  of  high  spirits 
ill  the  intervals  of  depression.  Her  mother  went  with 
her  care  to  a  female  friend.  The  lady  said  she  would 
not  trust  to  surgeons  and  apothecaries  ;  she  would  have 
a  downright  physician.  "  Why  not  go  to  the  top  of  the 
tree  at  once,  and  call  in  Dr.  Short  ?  You  have  heard  of 
him  ? '"' 

"  Oh,  yes ;  1  have  even  met  him  in  society ;  a  most 
refined  person  :  I  will  certainly  follow  your  advice  and 
consult  him.  Oh,  thank  you,  Mrs.  Bosauquet !  Apropos, 
do  you  consider  him  skilful  ?  " 

"  Oh,  immensely  ;  he  is  a  particular  friend  of  my  hus- 
band's." 

This  was  so  convincing,  that  off  went  another  three- 
cocked  note,  and  next  day  a  dark-green  carriage  and  pair 
dashed  up  to  Mrs.  Dodd's  door,  and  Dr.  Short  bent  him- 
self in  an  arc,  got  out,  and  slowly  mounted  the  stairs. 
He  was  six  feet  two,  wonderfully  thin,  livid,  and  gentle- 
man-like. Fine  long  head,  keen  eye,  lantern  jaws.  At 
sight  of  him  ]\Irs.  Dodd  rose  and  smiled,  Julia  started  and 
sat  trembling.  He  stepped  across  the  room  inaudibl}^, 
and  after  the  usual  civilities,  glanced  at  the  patient's 
tongue,  and  touched  her  wrist  delicately.  "Pulse  is 
rapid,"  said  he. 

Mrs.  Dodd  detailed  the  symptoms.  Dr.  Short  listened 
with  the  patient  politeness  of  a  gentleman,  to  Avhom  all 
this  was  superfluous.  He  asked  for  a  sheet  of  note-paper, 
and  divided  it  so  gently,  he  seemed  to  be  persuading  one 
thing  to  be  two  ;  he  wrote  a  pair  of  prescriptions,  and 
whilst  thus  employed  looked  up  every  now  and  then  and 
conversed  with  the  ladies. 

"  You  have  a  slight  subscapular  affection.  Miss  Dodd : 
1  mean  a  little  pain  under  the  shoulder-blade." 

"  Xo,  sir,"  said  Julia,  quietly. 

Dr.  Short  looked  a  little  surprised  ;  his  female  patients 


HARD   CASH.  77 

rarely  contradicted  him.  Was  it  for  them  to  disown 
things  lie  was  so  good  as  to  assign  them  ? 

"Ah  !"  said  he,  "you  are  not  conscious  of  it:  all  the 
better ;  it  must  be  slight ;  a  mere  uneasiness  :  no  more." 
He  then  numbered  the  prescriptions  1,  2,  and  advised 
Mrs.  Dodd  to  drop  No.  1  after  the  eighth  day,  and  substi- 
tute No.  2,  to  be  continued  until  convalescence.  He  put 
on  his  gloves,  to  leave.  Mrs.  Dodd,  then,  with  some 
hesitation,  asked  him  humbly  whether  she  might  ask 
him  what  the  disorder  was.  "Certainly,  madam,"  said 
he,  graciously  ;  "your  daughter  is  laboring  under  a  slight 
torpidity  of  the  liver.  The  first  prescription  is  active, 
and  is  to  clear  the  gland  itself,  and  the  biliary  ducts,  of 
the  excretory  accumulation  ;  and  the  second  is  exhibited 
to  promote  a  healthy  normal  habit  in  that  important 
part  of  the  vascular  system." 

"  .What,  then,  it  is  not  hyperaisthesia  ?  " 

"  Hyperaesthesia  ?  There  is  no  such  disorder  in  the 
books." 

"You  surprise  me,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd.  "Dr.  Osmond 
certainly  thought  it  w^as  hypereesthesia."  And  she  con- 
sulted her  little  ivory  tablets  whereon  she  had  written 
the  word. 

But,  meantime,  Dr.  Short's  mind,  to  judge  by  his 
countenance,  was  away  roaming  distant  space  in  search 
of  Osmond.  "Osmond?  Osmond?  I  do  not  know 
that  name  in  medicine." 

"Oh,  oh,  oh!"  cried  Julia,  "and  they  both  live  in  the 
same  street ! "  Mrs.  Dodd  held  up  her  finger  to  this  out- 
spoken patient. 

But  a  light  seemed  to  break  in  on  Dr.  Short.  "  Ah ! 
you  mean  Mr.  Osmond:  a  surgeon.  A  very  respectable 
man,  a  most  respectable  man.  I  do  not  know  a  more 
estimable  person  —  in  his  grade  of  the  profession  —  than 
my  good  friend  Mr.  Osmond.     And  so  lie  gives  opinions 


78  HARD   CASH. 

ill  medical  cases,  does  he  ?  "  Dr.  Short  paused,  appar. 
eutly  to  realize  this  phenomenon  in  the  world  of  mind. 
He  resumed  in  a  different  tone :  "  You  may  have  mis- 
understood him.  Hypersesthesia  exists,  of  course,  since 
he  says  so.  But  hypersesthesia  is  not  a  complaint ;  it 
is  a  symptom.  Of  biliary  derangement.  My  worthy  friend 
looks  at  disorders  from  a  mental  point;  very  natural: 
his  interest  lies  that  way,  perhaps  you  are  aware  :  but 
profounder  experience  proves  that  mental  sanity  is 
merely  one  of  the  results  of  bodily  health :  and  I  am 
happy  to  assure  you  that,  the  biliary  canal  once  cleared, 
and  the  secretions  restored  to  the  healthy  habit  by  these 
prescriptions,  the  hyperaesthesia,  and  other  concomitants 
of  hepatic  derangement,  will  disperse,  and  leave  our  in- 
teresting patient  in  the  enjoyment  of  her  natural  intelli- 
gence, her  friends'  affectionate  admiration,  and  above  all, 
of  a  sound  constitution.  Ladies,  I  have  the  honor"  — 
and  the  doctor  eked  out  this  sentence  by  rising. 

'•Oh,  thank  you,  Dr.  Short,"  said  INlrs.  Dodd,  rising 
with  him ;  "j-ou  inspire  me  with  contidence  and  grati- 
tude." As  if  under  the  influence  of  these  feelings  only, 
she  took  Dr.  Short's  palm  and  pressed  it.  Of  the  two 
hands  which  met  for  a  moment  then,  one  was  soft  and 
melting,  the  other  a  bunch  of  bones  ;  but  both  were  very 
white,  and  so  equally  adroit,  that  a  double  fee  passed 
without  the  possibility  of  a  bystander  suspecting  it. 

For  the  benefit  of  all  young  virgins  afflicted  like  Julia 
Dodd,  here  are  the  doctor's  prescriptions :  — 

FOR   MISS   DODD. 

^  Pil:  Hydi-arg:  Chlor:  Co: 

singul :  nocte  sumend  : 
Decoc  :  Aloes  Co:    5j 
omni  mane. 

viii.  Sept.     J.  S. 


HARD   CASH.  79 

FOR  MISS   DODD. 

9  Conf :  Sennae. 

Potass  :  Bitartx'at. 
Extr :  Tarax  :  a  a  5  ss 
Misft:  Elect:  Cujus  sum  :    3j  omni  mane. 

xviii.  Sept.     J.  S. 
Id  :  Anglice  reddit :  per  me  Carol :  Arundin  : 
The  same  done  into  English  bj  me.     C.  R. 

FOR   MISS    DODD. 

1.  O  Jupiter,  aid  us !  Plummer's  pill  to  be  taken  every 
night.     1  oz.  compound  decoction  of  Aloes  every  morning. 

8th  Sept.     J.  S. 

FOR   MISS    DODD. 

2.  O  Jupiter,  aid  us  !  with  Confection  of  Senna,  Bitartrate 
of  Potash,  extract  of  Dandelion,  of  each  half  an  ounce,  let  an. 
electuary  be  mixed ;  of  which  let  her  take  one  drachm  every 
morning. 

18th  Sept.     J.  S. 

"Quite  the  courtier,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd,  delighted.  Julia 
assented :  she  even  added,  with  a  listless  yawn,  "  1  had 
no  idea  that  a  skeleton  was  such  a  gentleman-like  thing ; 
I  never  saw  one  before." 

Mrs.  Dodd  admitted  he  was  very  thin. 

"Oh,  no,  mamma;  'thin'  implies  some  little  flesh. 
When  he  felt  my  pulse,  a  chill  struck  to  my  heart ; 
Death  in  a  black  suit  seemed  to  steal  up  to  me,  and  lay 
a  finger  on  my  wrist :  and  mark  me  for  his  own." 

^[rs.  Dodd  forbade  her  to  give  way  to  such  gloomy 
ideas;  and  expostulated  firmly  with  her  for  judging 
learned  men  by  their  bodies.  "  However,"  said  she,  "  if 
the  good,  kind  doctor's  remedies  do  not  answer  his  ex- 
pectations and  mine,  I  shall  take  you  to  Loudon  directly. 
I  do  hope  papa  will  soon  be  at  home." 

Poor  Mrs.   Dodd  was  herself  slipping  into  a  morbid 


80  HARD   CASH. 

state.  A  mother  collecting  doctors  I  It  is  a  most  fasci- 
nating kind  of  connoisseiirship  ;  grows  on  one  like 
drink ;  like  polemics ;  like  melodrama ;  like  the  MIL 
lennium ;  like  anything. 

Sure  enough,  the  very  next  week  she  and  Julia  sat 
patiently  at  the  morning  levee  of  an  eminent  and  titled 
London- surgeon.  Full  forty  patients  were  before  them, 
so  they  had  to  wait  and  wait.  At  last  they  were  ushered 
into  the  presence-chamber,  and  Mrs.  Dodd  entered  on 
the  beaten  ground  of  her  daughter's  symptoms.  The 
noble  surgeon  stopped  her  civilly  but  promptly.  "  Aus- 
cultation will  give  us  the  clew,"  said  he,  and  drew  his 
stethoscope.  Julia  shrank  and  cast  an  appealing  look 
at  her  mother;  but  the  impassive  chevalier  reported  on 
each  organ  in  turn  without  moving  his  ear  from  the 
keyhole.  "  Lungs  pretty  sound,"  said  he,  a  little  plaint- 
ively :  "  so  is  the  liver.  Now  for  the  —  Hum  ?  There 
is  no  cardiac  insufficiency,  I  think,  neither  mitral  nor 
tricuspid.  If  we  find  no  tendency  to  hypertrophy  we 
shall  do  very  well.  Ah,  I  have  succeeded  in  diagnosing 
a  slight  diastolic  murmur;  very  slight."  He  deposited 
the  instrument,  and  said,  not  without  a  certain  shade 
of  satisfaction  that  his  research  had  not  been  fruitless, 
"  Tlie  heart  is  the  peccant  organ." 

''0  sir!  is  it  serious  ?"  said  poor  Mrs.  Dodd. 

"  By  no  means.  Try  this  (he  scratched  a  prescription 
which  would  not  have  misbecome  the  tomb  of  Cheops) ; 
and  come  again  in  a  month."  Ting  !  He  struck  a  bell. 
That  "ting"  said,  "Go,  live  guinea;  and  let  another 
come." 

"  Heart-disease  now ! "  said  Mrs.  Dodd,  sinking  back 
in  her  hired  carriage,  and  the  tears  were  in  her  patient 
eyes. 

"My  own,  own  mamma,"  said  Julia,  earnestl}',  "do 
not  distress  yourself.     I  have  no  disease  in  the  world, 


HAKD    CASH.  81 

but  my  old,  old,  old  one,  of  being  a  naughty,  wayward 
girl.  As  for  you,  mamma,  you  have  resigned  your  own 
judgment  to  your  inferiors,  and  that  is  both  our  misfort- 
unes. Dear,  dear  mamma,  do  take  me  to  a  doctress  next 
time,  if  you  have  not  had  enough." 

"  To  a  what,  love  ?  " 

"  A  she-doctor,  then." 

"A  female  physician,  child  ?  There  is  no  such  thing. 
No ;  assurance  is  becoming  a  characteristic  of  our  sex ; 
but  we  have  not  yet  intrvided  ourselves  into  the  learned 
professions,  thank  Heaven !  " 

"  Excuse  me,  mamma,  there  are  one  or  two ;  for  the 
newspapers  say  so." 

"  Well,  dear,  there  are  none  in  this  country,  happily." 

"What,  not  in  London  ?  " 

"No." 

"  Then  what  is  the  Tise  of  such  a  great,  overgrown 
place,  all  smoke,  if  there  is  nothing  in  it  you  cannot 
find  in  the  country  ?  Let  us  go  back  to  Barkington  this 
very  day,  this  minute,  this  instant ;  eh,  pray,  pray  ! " 

"And  so  you  shall  —  to-morrow.  But  you  must  pity 
your  poor  mother's  anxiety,  and  see  Dr.  Chalmers  first." 

"O  mamma,  not  another  surgeon  !  He  frightened  me ; 
he  hurt  me  ;  I  never  heard  of  such  a  thing;  oh,  please 
not  another  surgeon." 

"  It  is  not  a  surgeon,  dear ;  it  is  the  court  physician." 

The  court  physician  detected  "  a  somewhat  morbid 
condition  of  the  great  nervous  centres."  To  an  inquiry 
whether  there  was  heart-disease,  he  replied,  "  Pooh ! " 
On  being  told  Sir  William  had  announced  heart-disease, 
he  said,  "  Ah  !  that  alters  the  case  entirely ^  He  main- 
tained, however,  that  it  must  be  trifling,  and  would  go 
no  further,  the  nervous  system  once  restored  to  its 
healthy  tone.  "0  Jupiter,  aid  us  !  Blue  pill  and  Seid- 
litz  powder." 


82  HARD  CASH. 

Dr.  Kenyon  found  the  mucous  membrane  was  irritated 
and  required  soothing.     "0  Jupiter,  etc." 

Mrs.  Dodd  returned  home  consoled  and  confused  ;  Julia 
listless  and  apathetic.  Tea  was  ordered,  with  two  or 
three  kinds  of  bread,  thinnest  slices  of  meat,  and  a  little 
blanc-raange,  etc.,  their  favorite  repast  after  a  journey ; 
and  whilst  the  tea  was  drawing,  Mrs.  Dodd  looked  over 
the  card-tray  and  enumerated  the  visitors  that  had  called 
during  their  absence  :  "  Dr.  Short  —  Mr.  Osmond  —  ]\Irs. 
Hetherington  —  Mr.  Alfred  Hardie  —  Lady  Dewry  — 
Mrs.  and  IVIiss  Bosanquet.  What  a  pity  Edward  was 
not  at  home,  dear ;  jVIr.  Alfred  Hardie's  visit  must  have 
been  to  him." 

"  Oh,  of  course,  mamma." 

"A  very  manly  young  gentleman." 

"Oh,  yes.     ISTo.     He  is  so  riide." 

'•Is  he  ?  Ah,  he  was  ill  just  then,  and  pain  irritates 
gentlemen :  they  are  not  accustomed  to  it,  poor  things." 

"That  is  like  you,  dear  mamma;  making  excuses  for 
one."     Julia  added,  faintly,  "  But  he  is  so  impetuous." 

"  I  have  a  daughter  who  reconciles  me  to  impetuosity. 
And  he  must  have  a  good  heart,  he  was  so  kind  to  my 
boy." 

Julia  looked  down  smiling;  but  presently  seemed  to 
be  seized  with  a  spirit  of  contradiction ;  she  began  to 
pick  poor  Alfred  to  pieces;  he  was  this,  that,  and  the 
other ;  and  then  so  bold,  she  might  say  impudent. 

IMrs.  Dodd  replied  calmly  that  he  was  very  kind  to 
her  boy. 

"0  mamma,  you  cannot  approve  all  the  words  he 
spoke." 

"It  is  not  worth  while  to  remember  all  the  words 
young  gentlemen  speak,  nowadays  ;  he  was  very  kind  to 
my  boy,  I  remember  that." 

The  tea  was  now  ready,  and  Mrs.  Dodd  sat  down,  and 


HAKD   CASH.  83 

patted  a  chair,  with  a  smile  of  invitation  for  Julia  to 
come  and  sit  beside  her.  But  Julia  said,  "  In  one  min- 
ute, dear,"  and  left  the  room, 

AVhen  she  came  back,  she  fluttered  up  to  her  mother 
and  kissed  her  vehemently,  then  sat  down  radiant. 
"Ah!"  said  Mrs.  Dodd,  "why,  you  are  looking  yourself 
once  more.     How  do  j-ou  feel  now  ?     Better  ?  " 

'•'  How  do  I  feel  ?  Let  me  see  :  the  world  seems  one 
e-nor-raous  flower-garden,  and  me,  the  butterfly  it  all 
belongs  to."  She  spake,  and  to  confirm  her  words  the 
airy  thing  went  waltzing,  sailing,  and  fluttering  round 
the  room,  and  sipping  mamma  every  now  and  then  on 
the  wing. 

In  this  buoyancy  she  remained  some  twenty-four  hours ; 
and  then  came  clouds  and  chills,  which,  iu  their  turn, 
gave  way  to  exaltation,  duly  followed  by  depression. 
Her  spirits  were  so  uncertain,  that  things  too  minute  to 
justify  narration  turned  the  scale  either  way:  a  word 
from  ]\Irs.  Dodd  —  a  new  face  at  St.  Anne's  Church  look- 
ing devoutly  her  way  — a  piece  of  town  gossip  distilled 
in  her  ear  by  ]\[rs.  Maxley  —  and  she  was  sprightly  or 
languid,  and  both  more  than  reason. 

One  drizzly  afternoon  they  were  sitting  silent  and 
saddish  in  the  drawing-room,  Mrs.  Dodd  correcting  the 
mechanical  errors  in  a  drawing  of  Julia's,  and  admiring 
the  rare  dash  and  figure,  and  Julia  doggedly  studying 
Dr.  AYhately's  logic,  with  now  and  then  a  sigh,  when 
suddenly  a  trumpet  seemed  to  articulate  in  the  little 
hall :  "  Mestress  Doedd  at  home  ?  " 

The  lady  rose  from  her  seat,  and  said  w4th  a  smile  of 
pleasure,  "  I  hear  a  voice." 

The  door  opened,  and  in  darted  a  gray-headed  man, 
with  handsome  but  strongly  marked  features,  laughing 
and  shouting  like  a  schoolboy  broke  loose.  He  cried 
out,  "  Aha !  I've  found  y'  out  at  last."    Mrs.  Dodd  glided 


84  HARD   CASH. 

to  meet  hiiu,  and  put  out  both  her  hands,  the  palms 
downwards,  with  the  prettiest  air  of  ladylike  cordiality  ; 
he  shook  them  heartily.  "  The  vagabins  said  y'  had  left 
the  town ;  but  y'  had  only  flitted  from  the  quay  to  the 
subbubs ;  'twas  a  pashint  put  me  on  the  scint  of  ye. 
And  how  are  y'  all  these  years  ?  an'  how's  Sawmill  ?" 

"  Sawmill  !     What  is  that  ?  " 

"It's  just  your  husband.     Isn't  his  name  Sawmill  ?" 

"  Dear,  no  !     Have  you  forgotten  ?  —  David." 

"  Ou,  ay.  I  knew  it  was  some  Scripcher  Petrarch  or 
another,  Daavid,  or  Naathan,  or  Sawmill.  And  how  is 
he,  and  where  is  he  ?  " 

JVIrs.  Dodd  replied  that  he  was  on  the  seas,  but 
expect  — 

"Then  I  wish  him  well  oif  'em,  confound  'em  onean- 
nall !  Halloa  !  why,  this  will  be  the  little  girl  grown  up 
int'  a  wumman  while  ye  look  round." 

"  Yes,  my  good  friend ;  and  her  mother's  darling." 

"And  she's  a  bonny  lass,  I  can  tell  ye.  But  no  freend. 
to  the  dockers,  I  see." 

"  Ah  !  "  said  jVIrs.  Dodd  sadly,  "  looks  are  deceitful ; 
she  is  under  medical  advice  at  this  very"  — 

"  Well,  that  won't  hurt  her,  unless  she  takes  it."  And 
he  burst  into  a  ringing  laugh  :  but,  in  the  middle  of  it, 
stopped  dead  short,  and  his  face  elongated.  "  Lordsake, 
mad'm,"  said  he,  impressively,  "mind  what  y'  are  at, 
though:  Barkton's  just  a  trap  for  fanciful  femuls: 
there's  a  n'oily  ass  called  Osmond,  and  a  canting  cut- 
throat called  Stephenson,  and  a  genteel,  cadaveris  old 
assassin  called  Short,  as  long  as  a  May-pole,  they'd  soon 
take  the  rose  out  of  Miss  Floree's  cheek  here.  Why, 
they'd  starve  Cu})id,  an'  veneseck  Venus,  an'  blister 
Pomonee,  the  vagabins." 

Mrs.  Dodd  looked  a  little  confused,  and  exchanged 
speaking    glances    with    Julia.      However,    she    said, 


HARD   CASH.  85 

calmly,  ''I  have  consulted  Mr.  Osmond,  and  Dr.  Short; 
but  have  not  relied  on  them  alone.  I  have  taken  her  to 
Sir  William  Best.  And  to  Dr.  Chalmers.  And  to  Dr. 
Kenyon."  And  she  felt  invulnerable  behind  her  phalanx 
of  learning  and  reputation. 

"  Good  Hivens  !  "  roared  the  visitor,  "what  a  gauntlet 
o'  gabies  for  one  girl  to  run  ;  and  come  out  alive  !  And 
the  pieter  of  health.  My  faith,  INIiss  Floree,  y'  are 
tougher  than  ye  look." 

"  My  daughter's  name  is  Julia,"  observed  iMrs.  Dodd, 
a  little  haughtily  ;  but  instantly  recovering  herself,  she 
said,  "  This  is  Dr.  Sampson,  love,  an  old  friend  of  your 
mother's." 

"  And  th'  author  an'  invintor  of  th'  great  chrono- 
thairnial  therey  o'  midicine,  th'  unity  perriodicity  an' 
remittency  of  all  disease,"  put  in  the  visitor,  with  such 
prodigious  swiftness  of  elocution,  that  the  words  went 
tumbling  over  one  another  like  railway  carriages  out  on 
pleasure,  and  the  sentence  was  a  pile  of  loud,  indistinct 
syllables. 

Julia's  lovely  eyes  dilated  at  this  clishmaclaver,  and 
she  bowed  coldly.  Dr.  Sampson  had  revealed  in  this 
short  interview  nearly  all  the  characteristics  of  voice, 
speech,  and  manner,  she  had  been  taught  from  infancy 
to  shun  :  boisterous,  gesticulatory,  idiomatic :  and  had 
taken  the  discourse  out  of  her  mamma's  mouth  twice  ; 
now  Albion  Villa  was  a  Red  Indian  hut  in  one  respect : 
here  nobody  interrupted. 

]\rrs.  Dodd  had  little  personal  egotism,  but  she  had  a 
mother's,  and  could  not  spare  this  opportunit}-  of  adding 
another  doctor  to  her  collection ;  so  she  said,  hurriedly, 
"  Will  you  permit  me  to  show  you  what  your  learned 
confreres  have  prescribed  her  ?  "  Julia  sighed  aloud, 
and  deprecated  the  subject  with  earnest  furtive  signs  ; 
Mrs.  Dodd  would  not  see  them.     Xow,  Dr.  Sampson  was 


86  HARD   CASH. 

himself  afflicted  with  what  I  shall  venture  to  call  a 
mental  ailment;  to  wit,  a  furious  intolerance  of  other 
men's  opinions ;  he  had  not  even  patience  to  hear  them. 
"  Mai  —  dear  —  mad'm,"  said  he,  hastily,  "  when  you've 
told  me  their  names,  that's  enough.  Short  treats  her  for 
liver,  Sir  William  goes  in  for  lung  disease  or  heart, 
Chalmers  sis  it's  the  nairves,  and  Kinyon  the  mookis 
membrin  ;  and  /say  they  are  fools  and  lyres  all  four." 

"Julia!  "  ejaculated  Mrs.  Dodd,  "this  is  very  extraor- 
dinary." 

"  No,  it  is  not  extraordinary,"  cried  Dr.  Sampson, 
defiantly;  "nothing  is  extraordinary.  D'ye  think  I've 
known  these  shallow  men  thirty  years,  and  not  plumbed 
'urn  ?  " 

"  Shallow,  my  good  friend  ?  Excuse  me  !  they  are 
the  ablest  men  in  your  own  branch  of  your  own  learned 
profession." 

"  Th'  ablest  ?  Oh,  you  mean  the  money-makingest ; 
now  listen  me  !  our  lairned  profession  is  a  rascally  one. 
It  is  like  a  barrel  of  beer.  What  rises  to  the  top?" 
Here  he  paused  for  a  moment,  then  answered  himself 
furiously,  "The  Scum!" 

This  blast  blown,  he  moderated  a  little.  "  Look  see  !  " 
said  he,  "  up  to  three  or  four  thousand  a  year,  a  docker 
is  often  an  honest  man,  and  sometimes  knows  something 
of  midiclne ;  not  much,  because  it  is  not  taught  any- 
where ;  but,  if  he  is  making  over  five  thousand,  he  must 
be  a  rogue  or  else  a  fool ;  either  he  has  booed  an'  booed, 
and  cript  an'  crawled,  int'  wholesale  collusion  with  th' 
apothecary  an'  th'  accoucheur — the  two  jockeys  that 
drive  John  Bull's  faemily  coach  —  and  they  are  sucking 
the  pashint  togither,  like  a  leash  o'  leeches;  or  else  he 
has  turned  spicialist;  has  tacked  his  name  to  some 
poplar  disorder,  real  or  imaginary;  it  needn't  exist  to  be 
poplar.    Now,  those  four  you  have  been  to  are  spicialists, 


HARD   CASH.  87 

and  that  means  monomaniacs  —  their  buddies  exspatiate 
in  West-ind  squares,  but  their  souls  dwell  in  a  n'alley, 
ivery  man  jacik  of  'em  ;  Aberford's  in  Stomich  Alley, 
Chalmers's  in  Nairve  Court,  Short's  niver  stirs  out  o' 
Liver  Lane,  Paul's  is  stuck  fast  in  Kidney  Close, 
Kinyon's  in  Mookis  Membrin  INIews,  and  Hibbard's  in 
Lung  Passage.  Look  see  !  nixt  time  y'  are  out  of  sorts, 
stid  o'  consulting  three  bats  an'  a  n'owl  at  a  guinea  the 
piece,  send  direct  to  me,  and  Pll  give  y'  all  their 
opinions,  and  all  their  prescriptions,  gratis.  And 
deevilich  dear  ye'U  find  'em  at  the  price,  if  ye  swallow 
'm." 

INfrs.  Dodd  thanked  him  coldly  for  the  offer,  but  said 
she  would  be  more  grateful  if  he  would  show  his  supe- 
riority to  persons  of  known  ability,  by  just  curing  her 
daughter  on  the  spot. 

"Well,  I  will,"  said  he,  carelessly;  and  all  his  fire 
died  out  of  him.  "  Put  out  your  tongue  !  —  Now  your 
pulse !  " 

Mrs.  Dodd  knew  her  man  (ladies  are  very  apt  to 
fathom  their  male  acquaintance  —  too  apt,  /think) ;  and, 
to  pin  him  to  the  only  medical  theme  which  interested 
her,  seized  the  opportunity  while  he  was  in  actual  con- 
tact with  Julia's  wrist,  and  rapidly  enumerated  her 
symptoms,  and  also  told  him  what  Mr.  Osmond  had  said 
about  hyperaesthesia. 

"  Goose  Greece  !  "  barked  Sampson,  loud,  clear,  and 
sharp  as  an  irritated  watch-dog;  but  this  one  bow-wow 
vented,  he  was  silent  as  abruptly. 

Mrs.  Dodd  smiled,  and  proceeded  to  hyperaemia,  and 
thence  to  the  antiphlogistic  regimen. 

At  that  unhappy  adjective,  Sampson  jumped  up,  cast 
away  his  patient's  hand,  forgot  her  existence  — she  was 
but  a  charming  individual  —  and  galloped  into  his  native 
region,  generalities. 


88  HARD    CASH. 

"  Antiphlogistic  !  Mai  —  clear  —  mad'm,  that  one  long 
fragmint  of  ass's  jaw  has  slain  a  million.  Adapted  to 
the  weakness  of  human  nature,  which  receives  with 
rivirince  ideas  however  childish,  that  come  draped  in 
long-tailed  and  exotic  words,  that  aasinine  polysyllable 
has  riconciled  the  modern  mind  to  the  chimeras  of  th' 
ancients,  and  ontbutchered  the  guillotine,  the  musket, 
and  the  sword ;  ay,  and  but  for  me 

"  Had  ban-ed  the  door 
For  cintui'ies  more, 

on  the  great  coming  sceince,  the  sceince  of  healing  dis- 
eases instead  of  defining  and  dividing  'em  and  lengthen- 
ing their  names  and  their  durashin,  and  shortening 
nothing  but  the  pashint.  Th'  antiphlogistic  therey  is 
this:  That  disease  is  fiery,  and  that  any  artificial  exhaus- 
tion of  vital  force  must  cool  the  system,  and  reduce  the 
morbid  fire,  called,  in  their  donkey  Latin,  '  fiamma,'  and 
in  their  compound  donkey  Latin,  'inflammation,'  and,  in 
their  goose  Greece,  '  phlogosis,'  '  phlegmon,'  etc.  And 
accordingly  th'  antiphlogistic  practice  is,  to  cool  the  sick 
man  by  bleeding  him,  and,  when  blid,  either  to  rebleed 
him  with  a  change  of  instrument,  bites  and  stabs  instid 
of  gashes,  or  else  to  rake  the  blid,  and  then  blister  the 
blid  and  raked,  and  then  push  mercury  till  the  teeth  of 
the  blid,  raked  and  blistered  shake  in  their  sockets,  and 
to  starve  the  blid,  purged,  salivated,  blistered  wretch 
from  first  to  last.  This  is  the  antiphlogistic  system.  It 
is  seldom  carried  out  entire,  because  the  pashint  at  the 
first  or  second  link  in  their  rimedial  chain,  expires  ;  or 
else  gives  such  plain  signs  of  sinking,  that  even  these 
ass-ass-ins  take  fright,  and  try  t'  undo  their  own  work, 
'not  disease's,  by  tonics  an'  turtle,  and  stimulants  :  which 
things  given  at  the  riglit  time  instead  of  tlie  wrong, 
given  when  the  pashint  was  merely  weakened  by  hia 


HARD  CASH.  89 

disorder,  and  not  enfeebled  by  their  didly  rimedies, 
would  have  cut  th'  ailment  down  in  a  few  hours." 

"  Dear  me ! "  said  Mrs.  Dodd ;  '•  and  now,  my  good 
friend,  with  respect  to  viy  daughter  ^'  — 

"N'  list  me!"  clashed  Sampson;  '^ye're  goen  to 
fathom  th'  antiphlogistics,  since  they  still  survive  an' 
slay  in  holes  and  corners  like  Barkton  and  d'ltly ;  I've 
driven  the  vamperes  out  o'  the  cintres  o'  civilization. 
Begin  with  their  coolers  !  Exhaustion  is  not  a  cooler,  it 
is  a  feverer,  and  they  know  it ;  the  way  parrots  know 
sentences.  Why  are  we  all  more  or  less  feverish  at 
night  ?  because  we  are  weaker.  Starvation  is  no  cooler, 
it  is  an  inflamer,  and  they  know  it,  as  parrots  know 
trutl^s,  but  can't  apply  them  ;  for  they  know  that  burn- 
ing fever  rages  in  ivery  town,  street,  camp,  where  famine 
is.  As  for  bloodletting,  their  prime  cooler,  it  is  inflam- 
matory; and  they  knoAv  it  (parrot-wise),  for  the  thump- 
ing heart,  and  bounding  pulse,  of  pashints  blid  by 
butchers  in  black,  and  bullocks  blid  by  butchers  in  blue, 
prove  it ;  and  they  have  recorded  this  in  all  their  books ; 
yet  stabbed,  and  bit,  and  starved,  and  mercuried,  and 
murdered,  on.  But  mind  ye,  all  their  sham  coolers  are 
real  weakeners  (I  wonder  they  didn't  inventory  Satin 
and  his  brimstin  lake  among  their  refrijrators),  and  this 
is  the  point  whence  t'  appreciate  their  imbecility,  and 
the  sairvice  I  have  rendered  mankind  in  been  th'  first  t' 
attack  their  banded  school,  at  a  time  it  seemed  imprig- 
nable." 

"  Ah,  this  promises  to  be  very  interesting,"  sighed 
Mrs.  Dodd ;  ''  and  before  you  enter  on  so  large  a  field, 
perhaps  it  would  be  as  well  to  dispose  of  a  little 
matter  which  lies  at  my  heart.  Here  is  v^y  i^oor  daugh- 
ter"— 

"  Klissmee  !  A  human  bean  is  in  a  constant  state  of 
flux  and  reflux  ;  his  component  particles  move,  change. 


90  HARD  CASH. 

disappear,  and  are  renewed;  liis  life  is  a  round  of  exhaus- 
tior.  and  repair.  Of  this  repair  the  brain  is  the  sovereign 
ajint  by  night  and  day ;  and  the  blood  the  great  living 
material ;  and  digestible  food  th'  indispensible  supply. 
And  this  balance  of  exhaustion  and  repair  is  too  nice  to 
tamper  with ;  disn't  a  single  sleepless  night,  or  dinner- 
less  day,  write  some  pallor  on  the  face,  and  tell  against 
the  buddy  ?  So  does  a  single  excessive  perspiration,  a 
trifling  diary,  or  a  cut  finger,  though  it  takes  but  half  an 
ounce  of  blood  out  of  the  system.  And  what  is  the  cause 
of  that  rare  ivint  —  which  occurs  only  to  pashints  that 
can't  afford  docking  —  Dith  from  old  age?  Think  ye 
the  man  really  succumms  under  years,  or  is  mowed  down 
by  time  ?  Nay,  yon's  just  potry  an'  bosh.  Nashins 
have  been  thinned  by  the  lancet,  but  niver  by  the 
scythe  ;  and  years  are  not  forces,  but  misures  of  events. 
No,  Centenarius  decays  and  dies,  bekase  his  bodil'  expin- 
diture  goes  on,  and  his  bodil'  income  falls  off  by  failure 
of  the  reparative  and  reproductive  forces.  And  now  sup- 
pose bodil'  exhaustion  and  repair  were  a  mere  matter  of 
pecuniary,  instead  of  vital,  economy  ;  what  would  you 
say  to  the  steward  or  housekeeper,  who,  to  balance  your 
accounts  and  keep  you  solvent,  should  open  every  known 
channel  of  expinse  with  one  hand,  and  with  the  other  — 
stop  the  supplies  ?  Yet  this  is  how  the  dockers  for 
thirty  cinturies  have  burned  th'  human  candle  at  both 
ends,  yet  wondered  the  light  of  life  expired  under  their 
hands." 

"It  seems  irrational.  Then  in  my  daurjlder'' s  case  you 
would  "  — 

"Looksee!  A  pashint  falls  sick.  What  haps  directly? 
Why,  the  balance  is  troubled,  and  exhaustion  exceeds 
repair.  For  proof,  obsairve  the  buddy  when  disease  is 
fresh ! 

"  And  you  will  always  find  a  loss  of  flesh. 


HARD  CASH.  91 

To  put  it  economikl}',  and  then  you  must  understand  it, 
bein'  a  housekeeper  — 

"  Whativer  the  disease.  Us  form  or  essence, 
Expinditure  goes  on,  and  income  lessens. 

But  to  this  sick  and  therefore  weak  man,  comes  a  docker 
purblind  with  cinturies  of  cant,  pricident,  blood  and 
goose  Greece  ;  imagines  him  a  fiery  pervalid,  though  the 
common-sense  of  mankind,  through  its  interpreter  com- 
mon language,  pronounces  him  an  'invalid,'  gashes  him 
with  a  lancet,  spills  out  the  great  liquid  material  of  all 
repair  by  the  gallon,  and  fells  this  weak  man,  wounded 
now,  and  pale,  and  fainting,  with  dith  stamped  on  his 
face,  to  th'  earth,  like  a  bayoneted  soldier  or  a  slaugh- 
tered ox.  If  the  weak  man,  wounded  thus,  and  weakened, 
survives,  then  the  chartered  thugs  who  have  drained  him 
by  the  bung-hole,  turn  to  and  drain  him  by  the  spigot ; 
they  blister  him,  and  then  calomel  him ;  and  lest  nature 
should  have  the  ghost  of  a  chance  to  counterbalance 
these  frightful  outgoings,  they  keep  strong  meat  and 
drink  out  of  his  system  emptied  by  their  stabs,  bites, 
purges,  mercury,  and  blisters  ;  damdijjits  !  And  that, 
Asia  excipted,  was  profissional  midicine  from  Hippo- 
crates to  Sampsin  ;  antiphlogistic  is  but  a  modern  name 
for  an  ass-ass-inating  routine  which  has  niver  varied  a 
hair  since  scholastic  midicine,  the  silliest  and  didliest  of 
all  the  hundred  forms  of  quackery,  first  rose  —  unlike 
sceince,  art,  religion,  and  all  true  suns  —  in  the  West; 
to  wound  the  sick  ;  to  weaken  the  weak ;  and  mutilate 
the  hurt ;  and  thin  mankind." 

The  voluble  impugner  of  his  own  profession  delivered 
these  two  last  words  in  thunder  so  sudden  and  effective 
as  to  strike  Julia's  work  out  of  her  hands.  But  here,  as 
in  nature,  a  moment's  pause  followed  the  thunderclap; 


92  HARD  CASH. 

SO  Mrs.  Dodd,  who  had  long  been  patiently  watching  her 
opportunity,  smothered  a  shriek,  and  edged  in  a  word : 
"  This  is  irresistible ;  you  have  confuted  everybody  to 
their  heart's  content :  and  now  the  question  is,  what 
course  shall  we  substitute  ?  "  She  meant,  "  in  the  great 
case,  which  occupies  me."  But  Sampson  attached  a 
nobler,  wider,  sense  to  her  query,  "  What  course  ? 
Why,  the  great  Chronothairmal  practice,  based  on  the 
remittent  and  febrile  character  of  all  desease ;  above  all, 
on 

"  The  law  of  Perriodkdty,  a  law 
Midicine  yet  has  wells  of  light  to  draw. 

By  remittency,  I  mean  th'  ebb  of  disease,  by  perrio- 
dicity,  th'  ebb  and  also  the  flow,  the  paroxysm  and  the 
remission.  These  remit  and  recur,  and  keep  time  like 
the  tides,  not  in  ague  and  remittent  fever  only,  as  the 
profission  imagines  to  this  day,  but  in  all  diseases  from  a 
scirrhus  in  the  pylorus  t'  a  toothache.  And  I  discovered 
this,  and  the  new  paths  to  cure  of  all  diseases  it  opens. 
Alone  I  did  it ;  and  what  my  reward  ?  hooted,  insulted, 
belied,  and  called  a  quack,  by  the  banded  school  of  pro- 
fissional  assassins,  who  in  their  day  hooted  Harvey  and 
Jinner,  authors  too  of  great  discoveries,  but  discoveries 
narrow  in  their  consequences  compared  Avith  mine.  T' 
appreciate  Chronothairmalism,  ye  must  begin  at  the 
beginning ;  so  just  answer  me  —  What  is  man  ?  " 

At  this  huge  inquiry  whirring  up  all  in  a  moment, 
like  a  cock-pheasant  in  a  wood,  Mrs.  Dodd  sank  back  in 
her  chair  despondent.  Seeing  her  hors  de  combat,  Samp- 
son turned  to  Julia  and  demanded,  twice  as  loud,  "  What 
IS  MAN  ?  "  Julia  opened  two  violet  eyes  at  him,  and 
then  looked  at  her  mother  for  a  hint  how  to  proceed. 

"  How  can  that  child  answer  such  a  question  ?  "  sighed 
.Mrs.  Dodd.     "  Let  us  return  to  the  point." 


HARD   CASH.  93 

"I  have  never  strayed  an  inch  from  it.  It's  about 
'  Young  Physic.'  " 

"iS'o,  excuse  me,  it  is  about  a  young  lady.  Universal 
medicine  !  what  have  I  to  do  with  that  ?  " 

"  Now  tliis  is  the  way  with  tliem  all,"  cried  Sampson, 
furious  ;  "  there  lowed  John  Bull.  The  men  and  women 
of  this  benighted  nashin  have  an  ear  for  anything  ;  pro- 
vided it  matters  nothing :  talk  jology,  conchology,  ento- 
mology, theology,  meteorology,  astronomy,  deuteronomy, 
botheronomy,  or  boshology,  and  one  is  listened  to  with 
riverence,  because  these  are  all  far-off  things  in  fogs  ; 
but  at  a  word  about  the  great,  near,  useful  art  of  heal- 
ing, y'  all  stop  your  ears  ;  for  why  ?  your  life  and  daili- 
anhourly  happiness  depend  on  it.  But  '  no,'  sis  John 
Bull,  the  knowledge  of  our  own  buddies,  and  how  to 
save  our  own  bakin,  beef  I  mean,  day  by  day  from  dis- 
ease and  chartered  ass-ass-ins,  all  that  may  interest  the 
thinkers  in  Saturn,  but  what  the  deevil  is  it  t'  us  ?  talk 
t'  «s  of  the  hiv'nly  buddies,  not  of  our  own  ;  babble  o' 
comets  an'  meteors  an'  ethereal  nibulse  (never  mind  the 
nibulae  in  our  own  skulls).  Discourse  t'  us  of  predisti- 
nashin,  Spitzbairgen  seaweed,  the  last  novel,  the  siventh 
vile  ;  of  Chrischinizing  the  Patagonians  on  condition  they 
are  not  to  come  here  and  Chrischinize  the  Whitechapel- 
ians ;  of  the  letter  to  the  Times  from  the  tinker  wrecked 
at  Timbuctoo ;  and  the  dear  professor's  lecture  on  the 
probabeelity  of  snail-shells  in  the  back-yard  of  the  moon  : 
but  don't  ask  us  to  know  ourselves.  —  Ijjits  !" 

The  eloquent  speaker,  depressed  by  the  perversity  of 
Englishmen  in  giving  their  minds  to  every  part  of  crea- 
tion but  their  bodies,  suffered  a  momentary  loss  of  energy ; 
then  ]\Irs.  Dodd,  who  had  long  been  watching,  lynx-like, 
glided  in.  "  Let  us  compound.  You  are  for  curing  all  the 
world,  beginning  with  nobody.  My  ambition  is  to  cure 
my  (jirl,  and  leave  mankind  in  peace.     Now,  if  you  will 


94  HARD   CASH. 

begin  with  my  Julia,  I  will  submit  to  rectify  the  universe 
in  its  proper  turn.  Any  time  will  do  to  set  the  human 
race  right ;  you  own  it  is  in  no  hurry ;  but  mi/  child's 
case  presses ;  so  do  pray  cure  her  for  me.  Or  at  least 
tell  me  what  her  indisposition  is." 

'<  Oh  !  What,  didn't  I  tell  you  ?  Well,  there's  noth- 
ing the  matter  with  her." 

At  receiving  this  cavalier  reply  for  the  reward  of  all 
her  patience,  Mrs.  Dodd  was  so  hurt,  and  so  nearly  angry, 
that  she  rose  with  dignity  from  her  seat,  her  cheek  act- 
ually pink,  and  the  water  in  her  eyes.  Sampson  saw  she 
was  ruffled,  and  appealed  to  Julia,  of  all  people.  "  There 
now.  Miss  Julee,"  said  he,  ruefully,  '"'she  is  in  a  rage 
because  I  won't  humbug  her.  Poplits  voolt  decipee.  I 
tell  you,  ma'am,  it  is  not  a  midical  case  ;  give  me  disease 
and  I'll  cure  't.  Stop,  I'll  tell  ye  what  do  ;  let  her 
take  and  swallow  the  Barkton  docks'  prescriptions,  and 
Butcher  Best's  and  canting  Kinyon's,  and  after  those 
four  tinkers  there'll  be  plenty  holes  to  mend ;  then  send 
for  me ! " 

Here  was  irony.  Mrs.  Dodd  retorted  by  finesse  ;  she 
turned  on  him  with  a  treacherous  smile  and  said,  "Never 
mind  doctors  and  patients  ;  it  is  so  long  since  we  met ; 
1  do  hope  you  will  waive  ceremony,  and  dine  with  me 
en  ami.'' 

He  accepted  with  pleasure ;  but  must  return  to  his  inn 
first  and  get  l-id  of  his  dirty  boots,  and  pashints.  And 
with  this  he  whipped  out  his  watch,  and  saw  that,  deal- 
ing with  universal  medicine,  he  had  disappointed  more 
than  one  sick  individual ;  so  shot  out  as  hard  as  he  had 
shot  in,  and  left  the  ladies  looking  at  one  another  after 
the  phenomenon. 

"  Well ! "  said  Julia,  with  a  world  of  meaning. 

"  Yes,  dear,"  replied  Mrs.  Dodd,  "  he  is  a  little  eccen- 
tric. I  think  I  will  request  them  to  make  some  addition 
to  the  dinner" 


HARD   CASH.  ^ 

"No,  mamma,  if  you  please,  not  to  put  me  off  so  trans- 
parently. If  I  had  interrupted,  and  shouted,  and  behaved 
so,  you  would  have  packed  me  off  to  bed,  or  somewhere, 
directly." 

"  Don't  say  '  packed,'  love.     Dismissed  me  to  bed." 

"Ah!"  cried  Julia,  "that  privileged  person  is  gone, 
and  we  must  all  mind  our  p's  and  q's  once  more." 

Mrs.  Dodd,  with  an  air  of  nonchalance,  replied  to  the 
effect  that  Dr.  Sampson  was  not  her  oft'spring ;  and  so 
she  was  not  bound  to  correct  his  eccentricities.  "  And 
I  suppose,"  said  she,  languidly,  "  we  must  accept  these 
extraordinary  people  as  we  find  them.  But  that  is  no 
reason  why  you  should  say  p's  and  q's,  darling." 

That  day  her  hospitable  board  was  spread  over  a  trap. 
Blessed  with  an  oracle  irrelevantly  fluent,  and  dumb  to 
the  point,  she  had  asked  him  to  dinner  with  maternal 
address.  He  could  not  be  on  his  guard  eternall}^ ;  sooner 
or  later,  through  inadvertence,  or  in  a  moment  of  con- 
vivial recklessness,  or  in  a  parenthesis  of  some  grand 
generality,  he  would  cure  her  child :  or,  perhaps,  at  his 
rate  of  talking,  would  wear  out  his  idle  themes,  down  to 
the  very  "  well-being  of  mankind ; "  and  then  Julia's 
mysterious  indisposition  would  come  on  the  blank  tapis. 
With  these  secret  hopes  she  presided  at  the  feast,  all 
grace  and  gentle  amity.  Julia,  too,  sat  down  with  a 
little  design,  but  a  very  different  one;  viz.,  of  being  chilly 
company,  for  she  disliked  this  new  acquaintance,  and 
hated  the  science  of  medicine. 

The  unconscious  object  chatted  away  with  both,  and 
cut  their  replies  very  short,  and  did  strange  things  :  sent 
away  Julia's  chicken,  regardless  of  her  scorn,  and  pre- 
scribed mutton  ;  called  for  champagne  and  made  her 
drink  it,  and  pout;  and  thus  excited  Mrs.  Dodd's  hopes 
that  he  was  attending  to  the  case  by  degrees. 

But,  after  dinner,  Julia,  to  escape  medicine  universal, 


96  HARD  CASH. 

and  particular,  turned  to  her  mother,  and  dilated  on  the 
treachery  of  her  literary  guide,  tlie  "Criticaster."  "It 
said  '  Odds  and  Ends '  was  a  good  novel  to  read  by  the  sea- 
side. So  I  thouglit,  '  Then  oh,  how  different  it  must  be 
from  most  books,  if  you  can  sit  by  tlie  glorious  sea  and 
even  look  at  it.'  So  I  sent  for  it  directly,  and,  would 
you  believe,  it  was  an  ignoble  thing;  all  flirtations  and 
curates.  The  sea,  indeed !  A  pond  would  be  fitter  to 
read  it  by  ;  and  one  with  a  good  many  geese  on." 

"  AVas  ever  such  simplicity  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Dodd.  "Why, 
my  dear,  that  phrase  about  the  sea  does  not  mean  any- 
thing. I  shall  have  you  believing  that  Mr.  So-and-So, 
a  novelist,  can  '  wither  fashionable  folly,''  and  that  '  a 
painful  incident^  to  one  shopkeeper  has  ^throiim  a  gloom^ 
over  a  whole  market-town,  and  so  on.  Nowadays  every 
third  phrase  is  of  this  character;  a  starling's  note.  Once, 
it  appears,  there  was  an  age  of  gold,  and  then  came  one 
of  iron,  and  then  of  brass.  All  these  are  gone,  and  the 
age  of  'jargon'  has  succeeded." 

She  sighed,  and  Sampson  generalized;  he  plunged 
from  the  seaside  novel  into  the  sea  of  fiction.  He  re- 
christened  that  joyous  art  feckshin,  and  lashed  its  living 
professors.  "  You  devour  their  three  volumes  greedily," 
said  he,  "but  after  your  meal  you  feel  as  empty  as  a 
drrum ;  there  is  no  leading  idea  in  'um ;  now,  there 
always  is  —  in  Moliere:  and  he  comprehended  the  midi- 
cine  of  his  age.  But  what  fundamental  truth  d'our 
novelists  iver  convey  ?  All  they  can  do  is  pile  incidents. 
Their  customers  dictate  th'  article ;  unideaed  melodrams 
for  unideaed  girls.  The  writers  and  their  feckshins 
belong  to  one  species,  and  that's  '  the  non-vertebrated 
animals;'  and  their  midicine  is  bosh;  why,  they  bleed 
still  for  falls  and  fevers,  and  niver  mention  vital  chro- 
nometry.  Then  they  don't  look  straight  at  nature,  but 
see  with  their  ears,  and  repeat  one  another  twelve  deep. 


HARD   CASH.  97 

Now,  listen  me!  there  are  the  cracters  for  an  'ideaed 
feckshin'  in  Barkington,  and  I'd  write  it,  too,  only  I 
haven't  time." 

At  this,  Julia,  forgetting  her  resolution,  broke  out, 
"Komantic  characters  in  Barkington?  who?  who?" 

"  Who  should  they  be  but  my  pashints  ?  Ay,  ye  may 
lauch,  ]\riss  Julee,  but  wait  till  ye  see  them."  He  was 
then  seized  with  a  fit  of  candor,  and  admitted  that  some, 
even  of  his  patients,  were  colorless ;  indeed,  not  to  mince 
the  matter,  six  or  seven  of  that  sacred  band  were  nullity 
in  person.  "I  can  compare  the  beggars  to  nothing," 
said  he,  "  but  the  globules  of  the  do-nothings ;  dee — d 
insipid,  and  nothing  in  'em.  But  the  others  make  up. 
Man  alive,  I've  got  a  '  a  rosy-cheeked  miser,'  and  an  '  ill- 
used  attorney,'  and  an  '  honest  screw,'  he  is  a  gardener, 
with  a  head  like  a  cart-horse." 

"  Mamma  !  mamma !  that  is  Mr.  Maxley,"  cried  Julia, 
clapping  her  hands,  and  thawing  in  her  own  despite. 

"  Then  there's  my  virgin  martyr,  and  my  puppy  ;  they 
are  brother  and  sister ;  and  there's  their  father,  but  he 
is  an  impenetrable  dog — won't  unbosom.  Howiver,  he 
sairves  to  draw  chicks  for  the  other  two,  and  so  keep 
'em  goen.     By-the-by,  3'ou  know  my  puppy." 

"  We  have  not  that  honor.  We  do  not  know  Mr. 
Sampson's  puppy,  love  ? "  inquired  Mrs.  Dodd,  rather 
languidly. 

"  Mamma !  —  I  —  I  —  know  no  one  of  that  name." 

"  Don't  tell  me  !  Why,  it  was  he  sent  me  here :  told 
me  where  you  lived,  and  I  was  to  make  haste,  for  Miss 
Dodd  was  very  ill :  it  is  young  Hardie,  the  banker's  son, 
ye  know." 

Mrs.  Dodd  said,  good-humoredly,  but  with  a  very  slight 
touch  of  irony,  that  really  they  were  very  much  flattered 
by  the  interest  Mr.  Alfred  Hardie  had  shown ;  especially 
as  her  daughter  had  never  exchanged  ten  words  with 


98  HARD   CASH. 

hiiu,  Julia  colored  at  this  statement,  the  accuracy  of 
which  she  had  good  reason  to  doubt ;  and  the  poor  girl 
felt  as  if  an  icicle  passed  swiftly  along  her  back.  And 
then  for  the  first  time  in  her  life  she  thought  her  mother 
hardly  gracious;  and  she  wanted  to  say  she  was  obliged 
to  Mr.  Alfred  Hardie,  but  dared  not,  and  despised  herself 
for  not  daring.  Her  composure  was  farther  attacked  by 
Mrs.  Dodd  looking  full  at  her,  and  saying  interrogatively, 
"I  wonder  how  that  3'oung  gentleman  could  know  about 
your  being  ill," 

At  this  Julia  eyed  her  plate  very  attentively,  and 
murmured,  "  I  believe  it  is  all  over  the  town  ;  and  seri- 
ously too,  so  Mrs.  Maxley  says :  for  she  tells  me  that  in. 
Barkington,  if  more  than  one  doctor  is  sent  for,  that 
bodes  ill  for  the  patient." 

"  Deevelich  ill !  "  cried  Sampson,  heartily. 

"  For  two  J3'h3-sicians,  like  a  pah*  of  oars, 
Conduek  him  faster  to  the  Styjjui  shores.'"* 

Julia  looked  him  in  the  face  and  coldly  ignored  this 
perversion  of  IMrs.  Maxley's  meaning  ;  and  Mrs.  Dodd 
returned  pertinaciously  to  the  previous  topic.  "Mr. 
Alfred  Hardie  interests  me ;  he  was  good  to  Edward. 
I  am  curious  to  know  why  you  call  him  a  puppy  ?  " 

"  Only  because  he  is  one,  ma'am.  And  that  is  no 
reason  at  all  with  'the  Six,'  He  is  a  juveneel  pidant, 
and  a  puppy,  and  contradicts  ivery  new  truth,  bekase  it 
isn't  in  Aristotle  and  th'  Eton  Grammar  ;  and  he's  such 
a  chatterbox,  ye  can't  get  in  a  word  idgeways  ;  and  he 
and  his  sister  —  that's  my  virgin  martyr  —  are  a  farce. 
He  keeps  sneerin'  at  her  relijjin,  and  that  puts  her  in 
such  a  rage,  she  threatens  't'  intercede  for  him  at  the 
throne.' " 

1  Garth. 


HARD   CASH.  99 

"Jargon,"  sighed  IMrs.  Dodd,  and  just  shrugged  her 
lovely  shoulders.  "We  breathe  it  —  we  float  in  an 
atmosphere  of  it.  My  love  ? "  And  she  floated  out 
of  the  room,  and  Julia  floated  after. 

Sampson  sat  meditating  on  the  gullibility  of  man  in 
matters  medical.  This  favorite  speculation  detained 
him  late,  and  almost  his  first  Avord  on  entering  the 
drawing-room  was,  "Good-night,  little  girl," 

Julia  colored  at  this  broad  hint,  drew  herself  up,  and 
lighted  a  bed-candle.  She  went  to  Mrs.  Dodd,  kissed 
her,  and  whispered  in  her  ear,  "  I  hate  him  ! "  and,  as 
she  retired,  her  whole  elegant  person  launched  ladylike 
defiance  ;  under  which  brave  exterior  no  little  uneasiness 
was  hidden.  "Oh,  what  will  become  of  me,"  thought  she, 
"  if  he  has  gone  and  told  him  about  Henley  ?  " 

"Let's  see  the  prescriptions,  ma'am,"  said  Dr.  Sampson. 

Delighted  at  this  concession,  Mrs.  Dodd  took  them  out 
of  her  desk  and  spread  them  earnestly.  He  ran  his  eye 
over  them,  and  pointed  out  that  the  mucous-membrane 
man  and  the  nerve  man  had  prescribed  the  same  medi- 
cine on  irreconcilable  grounds  ;  and  a  medicine,  more- 
over, whose  effect  on  the  nerves  was  nil,  and  on  the 
mucous  membrane  was  not  to  soothe  it,  but  plough  it 
and  harrow  it ;  "  and  did  not  that  open  her  eyes  ?  "  He 
then  reminded  her  that  all  these  doctors  in  consultation 
would  have  contrived  to  agree.  "But  you,"  said  he, 
"have  baffled  the  collusive  hoax  by  which  Dox  arrived 
at  a  sham  uniformity  —  honest  uniformity  can  never  exist 
till  scientific  principles  obtain.  Listme  !  To  begin  :  is 
the  pashint  in  love  ?  " 

The  doctor  put  this  query  in  just  the  same  tone  in 
which  they  inquire,  "Any  expectoration?"  But  Mrs. 
Dodd,  in  reply,  was  less  dry  and  business-like.  She 
started  and  looked  aghast.  This  possibility  had  once, 
for  a  moment,  occurred  to  her,  but  only  to  be  rejected, 
the  evidence  being  all  against  it. 


100  HAED   CASH. 

"  In  love  ?  "  said  she.  "  That  child,  and  I  not  know 
it!" 

He  said  he  had  never  supposed  that.  ''But  I  thought 
I'd  just  ask  ye  ;  for  she  has  no  bodily  ailment,  and  the 
paassions  are  all  counterfeit  diseases  ;  they  are  con- 
nected, like  all  diseases,  with  cerebral  instability,  have 
their  heats  and  chills  like  all  diseases,  and  their  par- 
oxysms and  remissions  like  all  diseases.  Nlistme  !  You 
have  detected  the  signs  of  a  slight  cerebral  instability ;  I 
have  ascertained  th'  absence  of  all  physical  cause  :  then 
why  make  this  healthy  pashint's  buddy  a  test-tube  for 
poisons  ?  Sovereign  drugs  (I  deal  with  no  other,  I  leave 
the  nullities  to  the  noodles)  are  either  counter-poisons  or 
poisons,  and  here  there  is  nothing  to  counter-poison  at 
prisent.  So  I'm  for  caushin,  and  working  on  the  safe 
side  th'  hidge,  till  we  are  less  in  the  dark.  Mind  ye, 
young  women  at  her  age  are  kittle  cattle ;  they  have 
gusts  o'  this,  and  gusts  o'  that,  th'  unreasonable  imps  ! 
D'ye  see  these  two  pieces  pasteboard  ?  They  are  tickets 
for  a  ball, 

In  Barkton  town-hall." 

*'  Yes,  of  course  I  see  them,"  said  INIrs.  Dodd,  dolefully. 
"  Well,  I  prescribe  'em.     And  Avhen  they  have  been 
taken. 

And  the  paslunt  well  shaken, 

perhaps  we  shall  see  whether  we  are  on  the  right  sys- 
tem :  and  if  so,  we'll  dose  her  with  youthful  society  in  a 
more  irrashinal  forrm  ;  conversaziones,  cookeyshines,  et 
citera.  And  if  we  find  ourselves  on  the  wrong  tack,  why 
then,  we'll  hark  back. 

Stick  blindly  to/  a  course,'  the  dockers  cry. 

But  it  does  me  harm  :   Then  'twill  do  good  by-an-by. 

Where  lairned  ye  that,  Echoes  of  Echoes,  say ! 

The  killer  ploughs  '  a  course,'  the  healer  'feels  his  way.^^'' 


HARD   CASH.  101 

So  mysterious  are  the  operations  of  the  human  mind, 
that,  Avhen  we  have  exploded  in  verse  tuneful  as  the 
above,  ^u'e  lapse  into  triumph  instead  of  penitence.  Not 
that  doggerel  meets  with  reverence  here  below  —  the 
statues  to  it  are  few,  and  not  in  marble,  but  in  the 
material  itself  —  but  then  an  impromptu!  A  moment 
ago  our  posy  was  not :  and  now  is  •,  with  the  speed,  if 
not  the  brilliancy,  of  lightning,  we  have  added  a  hand- 
ful to  the  intellectual  dust-heap  of  an  oppressed  nation. 
From  this  bad  eminence  Sampson  then  looked  down 
complacently,  and  saw  Mrs.  Dodd's  face  as  long  as  his 
arm.  She  was  one  that  held  current  opinions  ;  and  the 
world  does  not  believe  poetry  can  sing  the  practical; 
verse  and  useful  knowledge  pass  for  incompatibles  ;  and, 
though  doggerel  is  not  poetry,  yet  it  has  a  lumbering  pro- 
clivit}'  that  way,  and  so  forfeits  the  confidence  of  grave, 
sensible  people.  This  versification,  and  this  impalpable 
and  unprecedented  prescription  she  had  waited  for  so 
long,  seemed  all  of  a  piece  to  poor  mamma  :  wild,  unprac- 
tical, and  — ''  oh,  horror  !  horror  ! "  —  eccentric. 

Sampson  read  her  sorrowful  face  after  his  fashion. 
'•  Oh,  I  see,  ma'am,"  cried  he.  "  Cure  is  not  welcome 
unless  it  comes  in  the  form  consecrated  by  cinturies  of 
slaughter.  Well  then,  give  me  a  sheet."  He  '.ook  the 
paper  and  rent  it  asunder,  and  wrote  this  on  tte  larger 
fragment :  — 

r_        Die  JSIercur.  circa  x.  hor :  vespert: 
eat  in  musca  ad  Aulam  oppid: 

Saltet  cum  xiii  canicul : 
proesertim  meo.  Dom  :  reddita, 
6  hora  matutin  :  dorraiat  at  jDrand: 
Repetat  stultit :  pro  re  nata. 

He  handed  this  with  a  sort  of  spiteful  twinkle  to  Mrs, 
Dodd,  and  her  countenance  lightened  again.     Her  sex 


102  HARD  CASH. 

will  generally  compound  with  whoever  can  give  as  well 
as  take.  Now  she  had  extracted  a  real,  grave  prescrip- 
tion, she  acquiesced  in  the  ball,  though  not  a  county  one  •, 
''  To  satisfy  your  whim,  my  good,  kind  friend,  to  whom  I 
owe  so  much." 

Sampson  called  on  his  way  back  to  town,  and,  in 
course  of  conversation,  praised  Nature  for  her  beautiful 
instincts,  one  of  which,  he  said,  had  inspired  Miss  Julee, 
at  a  credulous  age,  not  to  swallow  "the  didly  drastics  of 
the  tinkerin  dox." 

Mrs.  Dodd  smiled,  and  requested  permission  to  con- 
tradict him  ;  her  daughter  had  taken  the  several  pre- 
scriptions. 

Sampson  inquired  brusquely  if  she  took  him  for  a  fool. 

She  replied,  calmly,  "  No ;  for  a  very  clever,  but  rather 
opinionated  personage." 

"Opininated?  So  is  ivery  man  who  has  grounds  for 
his  opinin.  D'ye  think,  because  Dockers  Short  an'  Bist 
an'  Kinyon  an'  Cuckoo  and  Jackdaw  an'  Starling  an'  Co. 
don't  know  the  dire  effecks  of  calomel  an'  drastics  on 
the  buddy,  I  don't  know't  ?  Her  eye,  her  tongue,  her 
skin,  her  voice,  her  elastic  walk,  all  tell  me  she  has  not 
been  robbed  of  her  vital  resources.  Why,  if  she  had 
taken  that  genteel  old  thief  Short's  rimidies  alone,  the 
girl's  gums  would  be  sore. 

And  herself  at  dith's  door." 

Mrs.  Dodd  was  amused.  "  Julia,  this  is  so  like  the 
gentlemen ;  they  are  in  love  with  argument.  They  go 
on  till  they  reason  themselves  out  of  their  reason.  Why 
beat  about  the  bush,  when  there  she  sits  ?  " 

"  What,  go  t'  a  wumman  for  the  truth,  when  I  can  go 
t'  infallible  inference  ?  " 

"  You  may  always  go  to  my  David's  daughter  for  the 


HARD   CASH.  103 

truth,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd,  with  dignity.  She  then  looked 
the  inquiry  :  aud  Julia  replied  to  her  look  as  follows  : 
first,  she  colored  very  high;  then  she  hid  her  face  in 
both  her  hands  ;  then  rose,  and,  turning  her  neck  swiftly, 
darted  a  glance  of  fiery  indignation  and  bitter  reproach 
on  Dr.  Meddlesome,  and  left  the  apartment  mighty  stag- 
like. 

"  Maircy  on  us  ! "  cried  Sampson.  "  Did  ye  see  that, 
ma'am  ?  Yon's  just  a  bonny  basilisk.  Another  such 
thunderbolt  as  she  dispinsed,  and  ye'll  be  ringing  for 
your  maid  to  sweep  up  the  good  physician's  ashes." 

Julia  did  not  return  till  the  good  physician  was  gone 
back  to  London.  Then  she  came  in  with  a  rush,  and, 
demonstrative  toad,  embraced  Mrs.  Dodd's  knees,  and 
owned  she  had  cultivated  her  geraniums  with  all  those 
medicines,  liquid  and  solid ;  and  only  one  geranium  had 
died. 

There  is  a  fascinating  age  when  an  intelligent  girl  is 
said  to  fluctuate  between  childhood  and  Avomanhood. 
Let  me  add  that  these  seeming  fluctuations  depend  much 
on  the  company  she  is  in  :  the  budding  virgin  is  princess 
of  chameleons ;  and,  to  confine  ourselves  to  her  two  most 
piquant  contrasts,  by  her  mother's  side  she  is  always 
more  or  less  childlike ;  but,  let  a  nice  young  fellow 
engage  her  apart,  and,  hey  presto  !  she  shall  be  every 
inch  a  woman :  perhaps  at  no  period  of  her  life  are  the 
purely  mental  characteristics  of  her  sex  so  supreme  in 
her :  thus  her  type,  the  rosebud,  excels  in  essence  of 
rosehood  the  rose  itself. 

My  reader  has  seen  Julia  Dodd  play  both  parts  ;  but 
it  is  her  child's  face  she  has  now  been  turning  for  several 
pages  ;  so  it  may  be  prudent  to  remind  him  she  has 
shone  on  Alfred  Hardie  in  but  one  light ;  a  young,  but 
Juno-like,  woman.     Had   she  shown  "  my  puppy "  her 


104  HARD  CASH. 

cliiklisli  qualities,  he  would  have  despised  her ;  he  had 
left  that  department  himself  so  recently.  But  nature 
guarded  the  budding  fair  from  such  a  disaster. 

We  left  Alfred  Hardie  standing  in  the  moonlight 
gazing  at  her  lodging.  This  was  sudden  ;  but,  let  slow 
coaches  deny  it  as  loudly  as  they  like,  fast  coaches  exist ; 
and  love  is  a  passion  which,  like  hate,  env}',  avarice,  etc., 
has  risen  to  a  great  height  in  a  single  day.  Not  that 
Alfred's  was  "  love  at  first  sight ; "  for  he  had  seen  her 
beauty  in  the  full  blaze  of  day  with  no  deeper  feeling 
than  admiration  ;  but  in  the  moonlight  he  came  under 
more  sovereign  spells  than  a  fair  face :  her  virtues  and 
her  voice.  The  narrative  of  their  meeting  has  indicated 
the  first,  and,  as  to  the  latter,  Julia  was  not  one  of  those 
whose  beauty  goes  out  with  the  candle ;  her  voice  was 
that  rich,  mellow,  moving  organ,  which  belongs  to  no 
rank  nor  station  ;  is  born,  not  made ;  and,  flow  it  from 
the  lips  of  dairymaid  or  countess,  touches  every  heart, 
gentle  or  simple,  that  is  truly  male.  And  this  divine 
contralto,  full,  yet  penetrating.  Dame  Nature  had  inspired 
her  to  lower  when  she  was  moved  or  excited,  instead  of 
raising  it :  and  then  she  was  enchanting.  All  uncon- 
sciously she  cast  this  crowning  spell  on  Alfred,  and  he 
adored  her.  In  a  word,  he  caught  a  child-woman  away 
from  its  mother ;  his  fluttering  captive  turned,  put  on 
composure,  and  bewitched  him. 

She  left  him,  and  the  moonlight  night  seemed  to 
blacken.  But  within  his  young  breast  all  was  light, 
new  light.  He  leaned  opposite  her  window  in  an  Elys- 
ian  reverie,  and  let  the  hours  go  by.  He  seemed  to 
have  vegetated  till  then,  and  lo  !  true  life  had  dawned. 
He  thought  he  should  love  to  die  for  her ;  and,  when  he 
was  calmer,  he  felt  he  was  to  live  for  her,  and  welcomed 
his  destiny  with  rapture.  He  passed  the  rest  of  the 
Oxford  term  in  a  soft  ecstasy ;  called  often  on  Edward, 


HARD   CASH.  105 

and  took  a  sudden  and  prodigious  interest  in  him;  and 
counted  the  days  glide  by  and  the  happy  time  draw  near, 
■when  he  should  be  four  mouths  iu  the  same  town  with 
his  enchantress.  This  one  did  not  trouble  the  doctors  ; 
he  glowed  with  a  steady  fire ;  no  heats  and  chills,  and 
sad  misgivings ;  for  one  thing,  he  was  not  a  woman,  a 
being  tied  to  that  stake,  suspense,  and  compelled  to  wait 
and  wait  for  others'  actions.  To  him,  life's  path  seemed 
paved  with  roses,  and  himself  to  march  it  iu  eternal  sun- 
shine, buoyed  by  perfumed  wings. 

He  came  to  Barkington  to  try  for  the  lovely  prize. 
Then  first  he  had  to  come  down  from  love's  sky,  and 
realize  how  hard  it  is  here  below  to  court  a  young  lady 
— who  is  guarded  by  a  mother — without  an  introduction 
in  the  usual  form.  The  obvious  course  was  to  call  on 
Edward.  Having  parted  from  him  so  lately,  he  forced 
himself  to  wait  a  few  days,  and  then  set  out  for  Albion 
Villa. 

As  he  went  along,  he  arranged  the  coming  dialogue 
for  all  the  parties  :  Edward  was  to  introduce  him  ;  Mrs. 
Dodd  to  recognize  his  friendship  for  her  son  ;  he  was  to 
say  he  was  the  gainer  by  it ;  Julia,  silent  at  first,  was  to 
hazard  a  timid  observation,  and  he  to  answer  gracefully, 
and  draw  her  out,  and  find  how  he  stood  in  her  opinion  : 
the  sprightly  affair  should  end  by  his  inviting  Edward 
to  dinner.  That  should  lead  to  their  inviting  him  in 
turn,  and  then  he  should  have  a  word  with  Julia,  and 
find  out  what  houses  she  visited,  and  get  introduced  to 
their  proprietors  ;  arrived  at  this  point,  his  mind  went 
over  hedge  and  ditch  faster  than  my  poor  pen  can  fol- 
low ;  as  the  crow  flies,  so  flew  he,  and  had  reached  the 
church-porch  under  a  rain  of  nosegays  with  Julia  —  in 
imagination  —  by  then  he  arrived  at  Albion  Villa  in  the 
body.  Yet  he  knocked  timidly ;  his  heart  beat  almost 
as  hard  as  his  hand. 


106  HAF.D   CASH. 

Sarah,  the  black-eyed  housemaid;  "  answered  the  door." 

"  Mr.  Edward  Dodd  ?  " 

"  Not  at  home,  sir.     Left  last  week." 

«  For  long  ?  " 

"  I  don't  rightly  know,  sir.  But  he  Avon't  be  back 
this  week,  I  don't  think." 

"Perhaps,"  stammered  Alfred,  "the  ladies  —  Mrs. 
Dodd —  might  be  able  to  tell  me." 

"  Oh,  yes,  sir.  But  my  mistress  she's  in  London  just 
now." 

Alfred's  eyes  flashed.  "Could  I  learn  from  Miss 
Dodd  ?  " 

"  La,  sir,  she  is  in  London  along  with  her  ma ;  why, 
'tis  for  her  they  are  gone,  to  insult  the  great  doctors." 

He  started.     "  She  is  not  ill  ?     Nothing  serious  ?  " 

"  Well,  sir,  we  do  hope  not ;  she  is  pining  a  bit,  as 
young  ladies  w^ll." 

Alfred  was  anything  but  consoled  by  this  off-hand 
account !  he  became  alarmed,  and  looked  wretched. 
Seeing  him  so  perturbed,  Sarah,  who  was  blunt  but 
good-natured,  added,  "But  cook  she  says  hard  work 
would  cure  our  miss  of  all  she  ails.  But  who  shall  I 
say  was  asking  ?  for  my  work  is  a  bit  behindhand." 

Alfred  took  the  hint  reluctantly,  and  drew  out  his 
card-case,  saying,  "  For  INIr.  Edward  Dodd."  She  gave 
her  clean  but  wettish  hand  a  hasty  wipe  with  her  apron, 
and  took  the  card ;  he  retired,  she  stood  on  the  step  and 
watched  him  out  of  sight,  said  "Oho!"  and  took  his 
card  to  the  kitchen  for  preliminary^  inspection  and  dis- 
cussion. 

Alfred  Hardie  was  resolute,  but  sensitive.  He  had 
come  on  the  wings  of  love  and  hope ;  he  went  away 
heavily  :  a  housemaid's  tongue  had  shod  his  elastic  feet 
with  lead  in  a  moment ;  of  all  misfortunes  sickness  was 
what  he  had  not  anticipated,  for  she  looked  immortal 


HARD   CASK.  107 

Perhaps  it  was  that  fair  and  treacherous  disease,  con- 
sumption. Well,  if  it  "was,  he  Avould  love  her  all  the 
more,  would  wed  her  as  soon  as  he  was  of  age,  and  carry 
her  to  some  soft  Southern  clime,  and  keep  each  noxious 
air  at  bay,  and  prolong  her  life,  perhaps  save  it. 

And  now  he  began  to  chafe  at  the  social  cobwebs  that 
kept  him  from  her.  But  just  as  his  impatience  was 
about  to  launch  him  into  imprudence,  he  was  saved  by 
a  genuine  descendant  of  Adam.  James  Maxley  kept 
Mr.  Hardie's  little  pleasaunce  trim  as  trim  could  be,  by 
yearly  contract.  This  entailed  short  but  frequent  visits  ; 
and  Alfred  often  talked  with  him,  for  the  man  was  really 
a  bit  of  a  character,  had  a  shrewd  rustic  wit,  and  a  ready 
tongue,  was  rather  too  fond  of  law,  and  much  too  fond 
of  money,  but  scrupulously  honest,  head  as  long  as  Cud- 
worth's,  but  broader,  and  could  not  read  a  line.  One 
day  he  told  Alfred  that  he  must  knock  off  now,  and  take 
a  look  in  at  Albion  Villee.  The  captain  w^as  due,  and 
on  no  account  would  he,  Maxle}',  allow  that  there  ragged 
box  round  the  captain's  quarterdeck  :  "  That  is  how  he 
do  name  their  little  mossel  of  a  lawn ;  and  there  he 
walks  for  a  wager,  athirt  and  across,  across  and  athirt, 
five  steps  and  then  about :  and  I'd  a'most  bet  ye  a  half- 
penny he  thinks  hisself  on  the  salt  sea  ocean,  bless  his 
silly  old  heart !  " 

All  this  time  Alfred,  after  the  first  start  of  joyful 
surprise,  was  secretly  thanking  his  stars  for  sending  him 
an  instrument.  To  learn  whether  she  had  returned,  he 
asked  ^Maxley  whether  the  ladies  had  sent  for  him. 

"Not  they,"  said  Maxley,  rather  contemptuously; 
"  what  do  women-folk  care  about  a  border,  without  'tis 
a  lace  one  to  their  nightcaps,  for  none  but  the  father  of 
all  vanity  to  see.  Not  as  I  have  aught  to  say  again  the 
pair;  they  keep  their  turf  tidyish,  —  and  pay  ready 
money  —  and  a  few  flowers  in  their  pots;  but  the  rest 


108  HARD  CASH. 

may  shift  for  itself.  Ye  see,  Master  Alfred,"  explained 
Maxley,  wagging  his  head  wisely,  "nobody's  pride  can 
be  everywhere.  Now  theirs  is  in-a-doors ;  their  with- 
drawing-rooni  it's  like  the  queen's  palace,  my  missus 
tells  me  ;  she  is  wrapped  up  in  'em,  ye  know.  But  the 
captain  for  my  money." 

The  sage  shouldered  his  tools  and  departed.  But  he 
left  a  good  hint  behind  him.  Alfred  hovered  about  the 
back  door  the  next  day  till  he  caught  IVIrs.  Maxley ;  she 
supplied  the  house  with  eggs  and  vegetables.  "  Could  she 
tell  him  whether  his  friend  Edward  Dodd  was  likely  to 
come  home  soon  ?  "  She  thought  not ;  he  was  gone  away 
to  study.  "  He  haven't  much  head-piece,  you  know,  not 
like  what  IVIiss  Julia  have.  Mrs.  and  miss  are  to  be 
home  to-day  ;  they  wrote  to  cook  this  morning.  I  shall 
be  there  to-morrow,  sartain,  and  I'll  ask  in  the  kitchen 
when  Master  Edward  is  a-comlng  back."  She  prattled 
on.  The  ladies  of  Albion  Villa  were  good  kind  ladies  ; 
the  very  maid-servants  loved  them.  Miss  was  more  for 
religion  than  her  mother,  and  went  to  St.  Anne's  Church 
Thursday  evenings,  and  Sundays  morning  and  evening ; 
and  visited  some  poor  women  in  the  parish  with  food 
and  clothes.  Mrs.  Dodd  could  not  sleep  a  wink  when 
the  wind  blew  hard  at  night,  but  never  complained,  only 
came  down  pale  to  breakfast.  Miss  Julia's  ailment  was 
nothing  to  sjjeak  of,  but  they  were  in  care  along  of  being 
so  wrapped  up  in  her,  and  no  wonder,  for  if  ever  there 
was  a  duck  !  — 

Acting  on  this  intelligence,  Alfred  went  early  the  next 
Sunday  to  St.  Anne's  Church,  and  sat  down  in  the  side 
gallery  at  its  east  end.  While  the  congregation  flowed 
quietly  in,  the  organist  played  the  Agnus  Dei  of  Mozart. 
Those  pious,  tender  tones  stole  over  this  hot  young  heart, 
and  whispered,  "Peace,  be  still!"  He  sighed  wearily, 
and   it   passed  through   his   mind   that    it  might  have 


HARD  CASH.  109 

been  better  for  him,  and  especially  for  his  studies,  if 
he  had  never  seen  lier.  Suddenly  the  aisle  seemed  to 
lighten  up;  she  was  gliding  along  it,  beautiful  as  May, 
and  modesty  itself  in  dress  and  carriage.  She  went 
into  a  pew  and  kneeled  a  minute,  then  seated  herself  and 
looked  out  the  lessons  for  the  day.  Alfred  gazed  at  her 
face ;  devoured  it.  But  her  eyes  never  roved.  She 
seemed  to  have  put  off  feminine  curiosity  and  the 
world,  at  the  church-door.  Indeed,  he  wished  she  was 
not  quite  so  heavenly  discreet ;  her  lashes  were  delicious, 
but  he  longed  to  see  her  eyes  once  more,  to  catch  a 
glance  from  them,  and  by  it  decipher  his  fate. 

But  no  ;  she  was  there  to  worship,  and  did  not  discern 
her  earthly  lover,  whose  longing  looks  were  glued  to 
her,  and  his  body  rose  and  sank  with  the  true  worship- 
pers, but  with  no  more  spirituality  than  a  piston,  or  a 
Jack-in-the-box. 

In  the  last  hymn  before  the  sermon,  a  well-meaning 
worshipper  in  the  gallery  delivered  a  leading  note,  a 
high  one,  with  great  zeal,  but  small  precision,  being 
about  a  semitone  flat.  At  this  outrage  on  her  too  sensi- 
tive ear,  Julia  Dodd  turned  her  head  swiftly  to  discover 
the  offender,  and  failed ;  but  her  two  sapphire  eyes  met 
Alfred's  ijoint-blank. 

She  was  crimson  in  a  moment,  and  lowered  them  on 
her  book  again,  as  if  to  look  that  way  was  to  sin.  It 
was  but  a  flash,  but  sometimes  a  flash  flres  a  mine. 

The  lovely  blush  deepened  and  spread  before  it  melted 
away,  and  Alfred's  late  cooling  heart  warmed  itself  at 
that  sweet  glowing  cheek.  She  never  looked  his  way 
again,  not  once,  which  was  a  sad  disappointment ;  but 
she  blushed  again  and  again  before  the  service  ended, 
only  not  so  deeply :  now  there  was  nothing  in  the  ser- 
mon to  make  her  blush.  I  might  add,  there  was  nothing 
to  redden  her  cheek  with  religious  excitement.     There 


110  HARD  CASH. 

was  a  little  candid  sourness  —  oil  and  vinegar  —  against 
sects  and  Low  Churchmen,  but  tliin  generality  predomi- 
nated. Total:  "Acetate  of  morphia,"  for  dry  souls  to 
sip. 

So  Alfred  took  all  the  credit  of  causing  those  sweet 
irrelevant  blushes,  and  gloated;  the  young  wretch  could 
not  help  glorying  in  his  power  to  tint  that  fair  statue  of 
devotion  with  earthly  thoughts. 

But  stay !  that  dear  blush,  was  it  pleasure  or  pain  ? 
What  if  the  sight  of  him  was  intolerable  ? 

He  would  know  how  he  stood  with  her,  and  on  the 
spot.  He  was  one  of  the  first  to  leave  the  church ;  he 
made  for  the  churchyard  gate,  and  walked  slowly  back- 
wards and  forwards  by  it  with  throbbing  heart  till  she 
came  out. 

She  was  prepared  for  him  now,  and  bowed  slightly  to 
him  with  the  most  perfect  composure,  and  no  legible 
sentiment,  except  a  certain  marked  politeness  many  of 
our  young  ladies  think  wasted  upon  young  gentlemen, 
and  are  mistaken. 

Alfred  took  off  his  hat  in  a  tremor,  and  his  eyes  im- 
plored and  inquired,  but  met  with  no  further  response  ; 
and  she  walked  swiftly  home,  though  without  apparent 
effort.  He  looked  longingly  after  her,  but  discretion 
forbade. 

He  now  crawled  by  Albion  Villa  twice  every  day,  wet 
or  dry,  and  had  the  good-fortune  to  see  her  twice  at  the 
drawing-room  window.  He  was  constant  at  St.  Anne's 
Church,  and  one  Thursday  crept  into  the  aisle  to  be 
nearer  to  her,  and  he  saw  her  steal  one  swift  look  at  the 
gallery,  and  look  grave;  but  soon  she  detected  him,  and 
though  she  looked  no  more  towards  him,  she  seemed 
demurely  complacent.  Alfred  had  learned  to  note  these 
subtleties  now,  for  love  is  a  microscope.  What  he  did 
not  know  was,  that  his  timid  ardor  was  pursuing  a  mas- 


HARD   CASH.  Ill 

terly  course;  that  to  find  herself  furtively  followed 
everywhere,  and  hovered  about  for  a  look,  is  apt  to 
soothe  womanly  pride,  and  stir  womanly  pity,  and  to 
keep  the  female  heart  in  a  flutter  of  curiosity  and 
emotion,  two  porters  that  open  the  heart's  great  gate  to 
love. 

Xow  the  evening  before  his  visit  to  the  Dodds,  Dr. 
Sampson  dined  with  the  Hardies,  and  happened  to  men- 
tion the  Dodds  among  his  old  patients.  "  The  Dodds 
of  Albion  Villa  ?  "  inquired  Miss  Hardie,  to  her  brother's 
no  little  surprise.  '-  Albyn  fiddlestick !  "  said  the  pol- 
ished doctor.  "  Xo  ;  they  live  by  the  water-side  :  used 
to ;  but  now  they  have  left  the  town,  I  hear.  He  is  a  sea- 
captain  and  a  fine  lad,  and  Mrs.  Dodd  is  just  the  best- 
bred  woman  I  ever  prescribed  for,  except  Mrs.  Sampson." 

"  It  is  the  Dodds  of  Albion  Villa,"  said  ]\Iiss  Hardie. 
"They  have  two  children,  — a  son,  his  name  is  Edward; 
and  a  daughter,  Julia;  she  is  rather  good-looking, — a 
gentleman's  beauty." 

Alfred  stared  at  his  sister.  "Was  she  blind,  with  her 
"  rather  good-looking  "  ? 

Sampson  was  quite  pleased  at  the  information.  "  X' 
listen  me  !  I  saved  that  girl's  life  when  she  was  a  year 
old." 

"Then  she  is  ill  now,  doctor,"  said  Alfred  hastily'. 
"  Do  go  and  see  her.  Hum  !  the  fact  is,  her  brother  is 
a  great  favorite  of  mine."  He  then  told  him  how  to 
find  Albion  Villa.  "  Jenny  dear,"  said  he,  when  Samp- 
son was  gone,  "  3-ou  never  told  me  you  knew  her." 

"  Knew  who,  dear  ?  " 

"  Whom  ?     Why,  Dodd's  sister." 

"  Oh,  she  is  a  new  acquaintance,  and  not  one  to  inter- 
est you.  We  only  meet  in  the  Lord  ;  I  do  not  visit 
Albion  Villa.     Her  mother  is  an  amiable  worldling." 

"  Unpardonable   combination  !  "    said  Alfred  with  a 


112  HARD   CASH. 

slight  sneer.  "So  you  and  INIiss  Dodd  meet  only  at 
church  ?  " 

"  At  church  ?  hardly.  She  goes  to  St.  Anne's ;  sits 
under  a  preacher  who  starves  his  flock  with  moral  dis- 
courses, and  holds  out  the  sacraments  of  the  Church  as 
the  means  of  grace." 

Alfred  shook  his  head  good-humoredly.  "  'Now,  Jenny, 
that  is  a  challenge  ;  and  you  know  we  both  got  into  a 
fury  the  last  time  we  were  betrayed  into  that  miserable 
waste  of  time  and  temper,  —  theological  discussion. 
No,  no:  — 

Let  sects  delight  to  bark  and  bite, 

For  'tis  their  nature  to  ; 
Let  gown  and  surplice  grOAvl  and  fight. 

For  Satan  makes  them  so. 

But  let  you  and  I  cut  High  Church  and  Low  Church, 
and  be  brother  and  sister.  Do  tell  me  in  English  where 
you  meet  Julia  Dodd,  that's  a  dear;  for  young  ladies 
'  meeting  in  the  Lord '  conveys  no  positive  idea  to  my 
mind." 

Jane  Hardie  sighed  at  this  confession.  "  We  meet  in 
the  cottages  of  the  poor  and  the  sick,  whom  He  loved 
and  pitied  when  on  earth ;  and  we,  His  unworthy  serv- 
ants, try  to  soothe  their  distress,  and  lead  them  to  Him 
who  can  heal  the  soul  as  well  as  the  body,  and  wipe 
away  all  the  tears  of  all  His  people." 

"  Then  it  does  you  infinite  credit,  Jane,"  said  Alfred 
warmly.  *'  Now,  that  is  the  voice  of  true  religion,  and 
not  the  whine  of  this  sect,  nor  the  snarl  of  that.  And 
so  she  joins  you  in  this  good  work  ?  I  am  not  sur- 
prised." 

"We  meet  in  it  now  and  then,  dear;  but  she  can 
hardly  be  said  to  have  joined  me.  I  have  a  district,  you 
know  ;  but  poor  Mrs.  Dodd  will  not  allow  Julia  to  enlist 


HARD   CASH.  113 

in  the  service.  She  visits  independently,  and  by  fits 
and  starts ;  and  I  am  afraid  she  thinks  more  of  comfort- 
ing their  perishable  bodies  than  of  feeding  their  souls. 
It  was  but  the  other  day  she  confessed  to  me  her  back- 
wardness to  speak  in  the  Avay  of  instruction  to  women 
as  old  as  her  mother.  She  finds  it  so  much  easier  to  let 
them  run  on  about  their  earthly  troubles ;  and  of  course 
it  is  much  easier.  Ah,  the  world  holds  her  still  in  some 
of  its  subtle  meshes." 

The  speaker  uttered  this  sadly  ;  but  presently,  bright- 
ening up,  said,  with  considerable  bonhomie,  and  almost 
a  sprightly  air,  "  But  she  is  a  dear  girl,  and  the  Lord 
will  yet  light  her  candle." 

Alfred  pulled  a  face  as  of  one  that  drinketh  verjuice 
unawares :  but  let  it  pass  :  hypercriticism  was  not  his 
cue  just  then.  "  Well,  Jenny,"  said  he,  "  I  have  a  favor 
to  ask  you.  Introduce  me  to  your  friend  Miss  Dodd. 
Will  you  ?  " 

Miss  Hardie  colored  faintly.  "I  would  rather  not, 
dear  Alfred :  the  introduction  could  not  be  for  her  eternal 
good.  Julia's  soul  is  in  a  very  ticklish  state ;  she  Avavers 
as  yet  between  this  world  and  the  other  world ;  and  it 
won't  do  ;  it  won't  do ;  there  is  no  middle  path.  You 
would  very  likely  turn  the  scale,  and  then  I  should 
have  fought  against  her  everlasting  v/elfare  —  my 
friend's." 

"  What,  am  I  an  infidel  ?  "  inquired  Alfred,  angrily. 
Jane  looked  distressed.  "  Oh,  no,  Alfred ;  but  you  are  a 
worldling." 

Alfred,  smothering  a  strong  sense  of  irritation,  be- 
sought her  to  hear  reason ;  these  big  words  were  out  of 
place  here.  *'  It  is  Dodd's  sister ;  and  he  will  introduce 
me  at  a  word,  worldling  as  I  am." 

"Then  why  urge  me  to  do  it,  against  my  conscience  ?  " 
asked  the  young  lady,  as  sharply  as  if  she  had  been  a 


114  HARD  CASH 

woman  of  the  world.  "  You  cannot  be  in  love  with  her, 
as  you  do  not  know  her.^' 

Alfred  did  not  reply  to  this  unlucky  thrust,  but  madt* 
a  last  effort  to  soften  her.  "  Can  you  call  yourself  my 
sister,  and  refuse  me  this  trifling  service,  which  her 
brother,  who  loves  her  and  esteems  her  ten  times  more 
sincerely  than  you  do,  would  not  think  of  refusing  me 
if  he  was  at  home  ?  " 

'•'  Why  should  he  ?  He  is  in  the  flesh  himself;  let  the 
carnal  introduce  one  another.  I  really  must  decline ; 
but  I  am  very,  very  sorry  that  you  feel  hurt  about  it." 

''And  I  am  very  sorry  I  have  not  'an  amiable  world- 
ling' for  my  sister,  instead  of  an  unamiable  and  devilish 
conceited  Christian."  And,  with  these  bitter  words, 
Alfred  snatched  a  candle  and  bounced  to  bed  in  a  fury. 
So  apt  is  one  passion  to  rouse  up  others. 

Jane  Hardie  let  fall  a  gentle  tear :  but  consoled  her- 
self with  the  conviction  that  she  had  done  her  duty,  and 
that  Alfred's  anger  was  quite  unreasonable,  and  so  he 
would  see  as  soon  as  he  should  cool. 

The  next  day  the  lover,  smarting  under  this  check,  and 
spurred  to  fresh  efforts,  invaded  Sampson.  That  worthy 
was  just  going  to  dine  at  Albion  Villa,  so  Alfred  post- 
poned pumping  him  till  next  day.  Well,  he  called  at 
the  inn  next  day,  and  if  the  doctor  was  not  just  gone 
back  to  London ! 

Alfred  wandered  disconsolate  homewards. 

In  the  middle  of  Buchanan  Street,  an  agitated  treble 
called  after  him,  "  Mr.  Half  red  !  hoh,  Mr.  Halfred  ! "  He 
looked  back  and  saw  Dick  Absalom,  a  promising  young 
cricketer,  brandishing  a  document  and  imploring  aid. 
"  0  Master  Halfred,  dooee  please  come  here.  I  durstn't 
leave  the  shop." 

There  is  a  tie  between  cricketers  far  too  strong  for 
social  distinctions  to  divide,  and,  though  Alfred  muttered 


HARD   CASH.  115 

peevishly,  "Whose  cat  is  dead  now?"  he  obeyed  the 
strange  summons. 

The  distress  was  a  singular  one.  IMaster  Absalom,  I 
must  premise,  was  the  youngest  of  two  lads  in  the 
employ  of  Mr.  Jenner,  a  benevolent  old  chemist,  a  disci- 
ple of  ]\ralthus.  Jenner  taught  the  virtues  of  drugs  and 
minerals  to  tender  youths,  at  the  expense  of  the  public. 
Scarcely  ten  minutes  had  elapsed  since  a  pretty  servant 
girl  came  into  the  shop,  and  laid  a  paper  on  the  counter, 
saying,  "  Please  to  make  that  up,  young  man."  Now  at 
fifteen  we  are  gratified  by  inaccuracies  of  this  kind  from 
ripe  female  lips :  so  master  Absalom  took  the  prescrip- 
tion with  a  complacent  grin ;  liis  eye  glanced  over  it ;  it 
fell  to  shaking  in  his  hand,  chill  dismay  penetrated  his 
heart ;  and,  to  speak  with  Oriental  strictness,  his  liver 
turned  instantly  to  water.  However,  he  made  a  feeble 
clutch  at  mercantile  mendacity,  and  stammered  out, 
"  Here's  a  many  hingredients,  and  the  governor's  out 
walking,  and  he's  been  and  locked  the  drawer  where  he 
keeps  our  haulhoppy.  You  couldn't  come  again  in  half 
an  hour,  miss,  could  ye  ?  "  She  acquiesced  readily,  for 
she  was  not  habitually  called  miss,  and  she  had  a  follower, 
a  languid  one,  living  hard  by,  and  belonged  to  a  class 
which  thinks  it  consistent  to  come  after  its  followers. 

Dicky  saw  her  safe  off,  and  groaned  at  his  ease.  Here 
was  a  prescription  full  of  new  chemicals,  sovereign,  no 
doubt ;  i.e.,  deadly  when  applied  Jennerically  ;  and  the 
very  directions  for  use  were  in  Latin  words  he  had 
encountered  in  no  prescription  before.  A  year  ago, 
Dicky  would  have  counted  the  prescribed  ingredients  on 
his  fingers,  and  then  taken  down  an  equal  number  of  little 
articles,  solid  or  liquid,  mixed  them,  delivered  them,  and 
so  to  cricket,  serene :  but  now,  his  mind,  to  apply  the 
universal  cant,  was  "in  a  transition  state."  A  year's 
practice  had  chilled  the  youthful  valor  which  used  to 


116  HARD   CASH. 

scatter  epsom  salts,  or  oxalic  acid ;  magnesia,  or  corro- 
sive  sublimate.  An  experiment  or  two  by  himself  and 
his  compeers,  with  comments  by  the  coroner,  had  enlight- 
ened him  as  to  the  final  result  on  the  human  body  of 
potent  chemicals  fearlessly  administered,  leaving  hira 
dark  as  to  their  distinctive  qualities  applied  remedially. 
"What  should  he  do  ?  run  with  the  prescription  to  old 
Taylor  in  the  next  street,  a  chemist  of  forty  years  ? 
Alas !  at  his  tender  age  he  had  not  omitted  to  chaff 
that  reverend  rival  persistently  and  publicly.  Humble 
his  establishment  before  the  King  Street  one  ?  Sooner 
perish  drugs,  and  come  eternal  cricket !  And,  after  all, 
why  not  ?  Drummer-boys,  and  powder-monkeys,  and 
other  imps  of  his  age  that  dealt  destruction,  did  not 
dejjopulate  gratis  ;  mankind  acknowledged  their  services 
in  cash:  but  old  Jenner,  taught  by  philosophy  through 
its  organ  the  newspapers  that  "knowledge  is  riches," 
was  above  diluting  with  a  few  shillings  a  week  the 
wealth  a  boy  acquired  behind  his  counter:  so  his  appren- 
tices got  no  salary.  Then  why  not  shut  up  the  old 
rogue's  shutters,  and  excite  a  little  sympathy  for  him,  to 
be  followed  by  a  powerful  reaction  on  his  return  from 
walking ;  and  go  and  offer  his  own  services  on  the 
cricket-ground  to  field  for  the  gentlemen  by  the  hour,  or 
bowl  at  a  shilling  on  their  bails  ? 

"Bowling  is  the  lay  for  me,"  said  he  j  "you  get  money 
for  that,  and  you  only  bruise  the  gents  a  bit  and  break 
their  thumbs :  you  can't  put  their  vital  sparks  out  as 
you  can  at  tins  work." 

By  a  striking  coincidence  the  most  influential  mem- 
ber of  the  cricket  club  passed  while  Dick  was  in  this 
quandar}'. 

"  0  Mr.  Halfred,  you  was  always  very  good  to  me  on 
the  ground;  you  couldn't  have  me  hired  by  the  club, 
could  ye  ?  for  I  am  sick  of  this  trade ;  I  wants  to 
bowL" 


HARD   CASH.  117 

"  You  little  duffer !  "  said  Alfred,  "cricket  is  a  recrea- 
tion, not  a  business.  Besides,  it  only  lasts  five  months, 
unless  you  adjourn  to  the  antipodes.  Stick  to  the  shop 
like  a  man,  and  make  your  fortune." 

"  O  ]\[r.  Halfred,"  said  Dick,  sorrowfully,  '■'  how  can  1 
find  fortune  here  ?  Jenner  don't  pay.  And  the  crowner 
declares  he  will  not  have  it;  and  the  Barton  Chronicle 
says  us  young  gents  ought  all  to  be  given  a  holiday  to 
go  and  see  one  of  us  hanged  by  lot;  but  this  is  what 
have  broke  this  camel's  back  at  last :  here's  a  dalled 
thing  to  come  smiling  and  smirking  in  with,  and  put 
it  across  a  counter  in  a  poor  boy's  hand.  Oh !  oh ! 
oh!" 

"Dick,"  said  Alfred,  "if  you  blubber,  I'll  give  you  a 
hiding.  You  have  stumbled  on  a  passage  you  can't  con- 
strue. Well,  who  has  not  ?  but  we  don't  shed  the  briny 
about  it.     Here,  let  me  have  a  go  at  it." 

"Ah,  I've  heard  you  are  a  scholard,"  said  Dick,  "but 
you  won't  make  out  this ;  there's  some  new  preparation 
of  mercury,  and  there's  musk,  and  there's  horehound, 
and  there's  a  neutral  salt;  and  dal  his  old  head  that 
wrote  it ! " 

"  Hold  your  jaw,  and  listen,  while  I  construe  it  to  you. 
^ Die  Jlercurii,  on  Wednesday  —  dec'imd  hord  vesperiinu, 
at  ten  o'clock  at  night  —  eat  in  musca;^  what  does  that 
mean?  ^ Eat  in  musca?^  I  see;  this  is  modern  lan- 
guage with  a  vengeance.  '  Let  him  go  in  a  fly  to  the 
town-hall.  Saltet,  let  him  jump  —  cum  tredecim  canicul'is, 
with  thirteen  little  dogs  — /^/-cpser^m  meo,  especially  with 
my  little  dog.'  Dicky,  this  prescription  emanates  from 
Bedlam  direct.  ^  Domum  reddita '  —  hallo  !  it  is  a  woman, 
then.  'Let  her  go  in  a  fly  to  the  town-hall,'  eh?  'Let 
her  jump,'  no,  'dance,  with  thirteen  whelps,  especially 
mine.'  Ha !  ha  !  ha  !  And  who  is  the  woman  that  is  to 
do  all  this,  I  wonder  ?  " 


118  HARD  CASH. 

"Woman,  indeed!"  said  a  treble  at  the  door;  "no 
more  than  I  am;  it's  for  a  young  lady.     0  jirainy !" 

This  polite  ejaculation  was  drawn  out  by  the  speaker's 
sudden  recognition  of  Alfred,  who  had  raised  his  head 
at  lier  remonstrance,  and  now  started  in  his  turn:  for  it 
was  the  black-eyed  servant  of  Albion  Villa.  They  looked 
at  one  another  in  expressive  silence. 

"  Yes,  sir,  it  is  for  my  young  lady.  Is  it  ready,  younji 
man  ?  " 

"  No,  it  ain't :  and  never  will,"  squealed  Dick,  angrily ; 
"  it's  a  vile  hoax ;  and  you  ouglit  to  be  ashamed  of  your 
self  bringing  it  into  a  respectable  shop." 

^.Ifred  silenced  him,  and  told  Sarah  he  thought  Miss 
Dodd  ought  to  know  the  nature  of  this  prescription 
before  it  went  round  the  chemists. 

He  borrowed  paper  of  Dick,  and  wrote :  — 

"Mr.  Alfred  Hardie  presents  his  compliments  to  Miss  Dodd, 
and  begs  leave  to  inform  her  that  he  has,  by  the  merest  acci- 
dent, intercepted  the  enclosed  prcscrijjtion.  As  it  seems  rather 
a  sorry  jest,  and  tends  to  attract  attention  to  Miss  Dodd  and 
her  movements,  he  has  ventured,  with  some  misgivings,  to 
send  it  back  with  a  literal  translation,  on  reading  which  it  will 
be  for  Miss  Dodd  to  decide  whether  it  is  to  circulate. 

"  '  On  Wednesday,  at  ten  p.m.,  let  her  go  in  a  lly  to  the  town- 
hall  and  dance  with  \  .    °  '/especially   with    mine:   re- 

thirteen  /     ,    ,      '      \         turn  home 

v^  whelps,       J 

at  six  A.M.,  and  sleep  till  dinner,  and  repeat  the  folly  as  occa- 
sion serves.'" 


"  Suppose  I  could  get  it  into  miss's  hands  when  she's 

alone  ?  "  whispered  Sarah. 

"  You  would  earn  my  warmest  gratitude." 

" '  Warmest  gratitude  ! '     Is  that  a  warm  gownd  or  a 

warm  cloak,  I  wonder  ?  " 


HABD  CASH.  119 

"  It  is  both,  when  the  man  is  a  gentleman,  and  a  pretty, 
dark-eyed  girl  pities  him  and  stands  his  friend." 

Sarah  smiled,  and  whispered,  "  Give  it  me ;  I'll  do  my 
best." 

Alfred  enclosed  the  prescription  and  his  note  in  one 
cover,  handed  them  to  her,  and  slipped  a  sovereign  into 
her  hand.     He  whispered,  "  Be  prudent." 

"  I'm  dark,  sir,"  said  she  :  and  went  off  briskly  home- 
wards, and  Alfred  stood  rapt  in  dreamy  joy,  and  so 
self-elated  that,  had  he  been  furnished  like  a  peacock,  he 
would  have  instantly  become  "a  thing  all  eyes,"  and 
choked  up  Jenner's  shop,  and  swept  his  counter.  He 
had  made  a  step  towards  familiarity,  had  written  her  a 
letter;  and  then,  if  this  prescription  came,  as  he  suspected, 
from  Dr.  Sampson,  she  would,  perhaps,  be  at  the  ball. 
This  opened  a  delightful  vista.  Meantime,  Mrs.  Dodd 
had  communicated  Sampson's  opinion  to  Julia,  adding 
that  there  was  a  prescription  besides,  gone  to  be  made 
up.     "However,  he  insists  on  your  going  to  this  ball." 

Julia  begged  hard  to  be  excused :  said  she  was  in  no 
humor  for  balls :  and,  Mrs.  Dodd  objecting  that  the 
tickets  had  actually  been  purchased,  she  asked  leave  to 
send  them  to  the  Dartons :  "  They  will  be  a  treat  to  Rose 
and  Alice ;  they  seldom  go  out :  mamma,  I  do  so  fear 
they  are  poorer  than  people  think.     May  I  ?  " 

"It  would  be  but  kind,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd.  "Though 
really,  why  my  child  should  always  be  sacrificed  to  other 
people's  children  "  — 

*'  Oh,  a  mighty  sacrifice  ! "  said  Julia.  She  sat  down 
and  enclosed  the  tickets  to  Rose  Darton,  with  a  little 
sugared  note.  Sarah  being  out,  Elizabeth  took  it.  Sarah 
met  her  at  the  gate,  but  did  not  announce  her  return  : 
she  lurked  in  ambush  till  Julia  happened  to  go  to  her 
own  room,  then  followed  her,  and  handed  Alfred's  mis- 
give, and  watched  her  slyly,  and,  being  herself  expedi- 


120  HARD  CASH. 

tious  as  the  wind  in  matters  of  the  heart,  took  it  foi 
granted  the  enclosure  was  something  very  warm  indeed; 
so  she  said  with  feigned  simplicity,  "I  suppose  it  is  all 
right  now,  miss  ?  "  and  retreated  swelling  with  a  secret, 
and  tormented  her  fellow-servants  all  day  with  innuen- 
does dark  as  Erebus. 

Julia  read  the  note  again  and  again :  her  heart  beat 
at  those  few  ceremonious  lines.  "■  He  does  not  like  me 
to  be  talked  of,"  she  said  to  herself.  ''  How  good  he  is ! 
What  trouble  he  takes  about  me!  Ah!  he  ivill  be 
there." 

She  divined  rightly ;  on  Wednesday,  at  ten,  Alfred 
Hardie  was  in  the  ballroom.  It  was  a  magnificent  room, 
well  lighted,  and  at  present  not  half  tilled,  though  dancing 
had  commenced.  The  figure  Alfred  sought  Avas  not  there, 
and  he  wondered  he  had  been  so  childish  as  to  hope  she 
w^ould  come  to  a  city  ball.  He  played  the  fine  gentle- 
man ;  would  not  dance.  He  got  near  the  door  with 
another  Oxonian,  and  tried  to  avenge  himself  for  her 
absence,  on  the  townspeople  who  were  there,  by  quizzing 
them. 

But  in  the  middle  of  this  amiable  occupation,  and, 
indeed,  in  the  middle  of  a  sentence,  he  stopped  short, 
and  his  heart  throbbed,  and  he  thrilled  from  head  to 
foot ;  for  two  ladies  glided  in  at  the  door,  and  passed  up 
the  room  with  the  unpretending  composure  of  well-bred 
people.  They  were  equally  remarkable  ;  but  Alfred  saw 
only  the  radiant  young  creature  in  flowing  muslin,  with 
the  narrowest  sash  in  the  room,  and  no  ornament  but  a 
necklace  of  large  pearls,  and  her  own  vivid  beauty.  She 
had  altered  her  mind  about  coming,  with  apologies  for 
her  vacillating  disposition  so  penitent  and  dispropor- 
tionate, that  her  indulgent  and  unsuspecting  mother  was 
really  quite  amused.  Alfred  was  not  so  happy  as  to 
know  that  she  had  changed  her  mind  with  his  note. 


HARD   CASH.  121 

Perhaps  even  this  knowledge  could  have  added  little  to 
that  exquisite  moment,  when,  unhoped  for,  she  passed 
close  to  him,  and  tlie  fragrant  air  from  her  brushed  iiis 
cheek ;  and  seemed  to  whisper,  "  Follow  me,  and  be  my 
slave." 


?2u4  HAKD   UASH. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

He  did  follow  her,  and,  convinced  that  she  would  be 
engaged  ten  deep  in  five  minutes,  hustled  up  to  the 
master  of  the  ceremonies  and  begged  an  introduction. 
The  great  banker's  son  was  attended  to  at  once.  Julia 
saw  them  coming,  as  her  sex  can  see,  without  looking. 
Her  eyes  were  on  fire,  and  a  delicious  blush  on  her  cheeks, 
M'^hen  the  M.  C.  introduced  Mr.  Alfred  Hardie  with  due 
pomp.     He  asked  her  to  dance. 

"  I  am  engaged  for  this  dance,  sir,"  said  she  softly. 

"  The  next  ?  "  asked  Hardie,  timidly. 

"  With  pleasure." 

But  when  they  had  got  so  far  they  were  both  seized 
with  bashful  silence ;  and,  just  as  Alfred  was  going  to 
try  and  break  it,  Cornet  Bosanquet,  aged  eighteen,  height 
five  feet  four  inches,  strutted  up  with  clanking  heel,  and, 
glancing  haughtily  up  at  him,  carried  Julia  off,  like  a 
steam-tug  towing  away  some  fair  schooner.  To  these 
little  thorns  society  treats  all  anxious  lovers  ;  but  the 
incident  was  new  to  Alfred,  and  discomposed  him,  and, 
besides,  he  had  nosed  a  rival  in  Sampson's  prescription. 
So  now  he  thought  to  himself,  "That  little  ensign  is  'his 
puppy.' " 

To  get  rid  of  INIrs.  Dodd,  he  offered  to  conduct  her  to 
a  seat.  She  thanked  him ;  she  would  rather  stand  where 
she  could  see  her  daughter  dance.  On  this  he  took  her 
to  the  embrasure  of  a  window  opposite  where  Julia  and 
her  partner  stood,  and  they  entered  a  circle  of  spectators. 
The  band  struck  up,  and  the  solemn  skating  began. 

"  Who  is  this   lovely  creature  in  white  ? "  asked  a 


HARD  CASH.  123 

middle-aged  solicitor.  "  In  white  ?  I  do  not  see  any 
beauty  in  white,"  replied  his  daughter.  "  Why,  there, 
before  your  eyes,"  said  the  gentleman,  loudly. 

"  What,  that  girl  dancing  with  the  little  captain  ?  I 
don't  see  much  beauty  in  her.  And  what  a  rubbishing 
dress." 

"It  never  cost  a  pound,  making  and  all,"  suggested 
another  Barkingtonian  nymph. 

"  But  what  splendid  pearls  !  "  said  a  third.  "Can  they 
be  real  ?  " 

"  Real  ?  what  an  idea ! "  ejaculated  a  fourth.  "  Who 
puts  on  real  pearls  as  big  as  peas  with  muslin  at  twenty 
pence  the  yard  ?  " 

"  Weasels  !  "  muttered  Alfred,  and  quivered  all  over ; 
and  he  felt  to  Mrs.  Dodd  so  like  a  savage  going  to  spring, 
that  she  laid  her  hand  upon  his  Avrist,  and  said  gently, 
but  with  authority,  "Be  calm,  sir!  and  oblige  me  by  not 
noticing  these  people." 

Then  they  threw  dirt  on  her  bouquet,  and  then  on  her 
shoes,  while  she  was  winding  in  and  out  before  their  eyes 
a  grace,  and  her  soft  muslin  drifting  and  flowing  like»an 
appropriate  cloud  round  a  young  goddess. 

"  A  little  starch  would  make  it  set  out  better.  It's  as 
limp  as  a  towel  on  the  line." 

"  I'll  be  sworn  it  was  washed  at  home," 

"  Where  it  was  made." 

"  I  call  it  a  rag,  not  a  gown." 

"  Do  let  us  move,"  whispered  Alfred. 

"I  am  very  comfortable  here,"  whispered  Mrs.  Dodd. 
"  How  can  these  things  annoy  my  ears  while  I  have  eyes  ? 
Look  at  her;  she  is  the  best-dressed  lady  in  the  room. 
Her  muslin  is  Indian,  and  of  a  quality  unknown  to  these 
provincial  shopkeepers  :  a  rajah  gave  it  us  ;  her  pearls 
were  my  mother's,  and  have  been  in  every  court  in 
Europe ;  and  she  herself  is  beautiful,  would  be  beautiful 


124  HARD  CASH. 

dressed  like  the  dowdies  Avho  are  criticising  her ;  and  I 
think,  sir,  she  dances  as  well  as  any  lady  can  encumbered 
with  an  atom  that  does  not  know  the  figure."  All  this 
with  the  utmost  placidity. 

Then,  as  if  to  extinguish  all  doubt,  Julia  flung  them  a 
heavenly  smile ;  she  had  been  furtively  watching  them 
all  the  time,  and  she  saw  they  were  talking  about  her. 

The  other  Oxonian  squeezed  up  to  Hardie.  "  Do  you 
know  the  beauty  ?     She  smiled  your  way." 

''Ah !"  said  Hardie,  deliberately,  "you  mean  that  young 
lady  with  the  court  pearls,  in  that  exquisite  Indian  muslin, 
which  floats  so  gracefully,  while  the  other  muslin  girls 
are  all  crimp  and  stiff,  like  little  pigs  clad  in  crackling  ?  " 

"Ha!  ha!  ha!     Yes.     Introduce  me." 

"I  could  not  take  such  a  liberty  with  the  queen  of  the 
ball." 

Mrs.  Dodd  smiled,  but  felt  nervous  and  ill  at  ease. 
She  thought  to  herself,  "Now,  here  is  a  generous,  impet- 
uous thing."  As  for  the  hostile  party,  staggered  at  first 
by  the  masculine  insolence  of  young  Hardie,  it  soon 
recovered,  and,  true  to  its  sex,  attacked  him  obliquely, 
through  his  white  ladye. 

"Who  is  the  beauty  of  the  ball ? "  asked  one,  haughtily. 

"I  don't  know;  but  not  that  mawkish  thing  in  limp 
muslin." 

"I  should  say  Miss  Hetherington  is  the  belle,"  sug- 
gested a  third. 

"Which  is  Miss  Hetherington?"  asked  the  Oxonian 
coolly  of  Alfred. 

"  Oh  !  she  won't  do  for  us.  It  is  that  little  chalk-faced 
girl,  dressed  in  pink  with  red  roses  ;  the  pink  of  vulgarity 
and  bad  taste." 

At  this  both  Oxonians  laughed  arrogantly,  and  Mrs. 
Dodd  withdrew  her  hand  from  the  speaker's  arm,  and 
glided  away  behind  the  throng.     Julia  looked  at  him 


SHE    SHARED    HER    HYMN    BOOK    WITH    HIM. 


HARD   CASH.  125 

with  marked  anxiety.  He  returned  her  look,  and  was 
sore  puzzled  what  it  meant,  till  he  found  Mrs.  Dodd  had 
withdrawn  softly  from  him ;  then  he  stood  confused, 
regretting  too  late  he  had  not  obeyed  her  positive 
request,  and  tried  to  imitate  her  dignified  forbearance. 

The  quadrille  ended.  He  instantly  stepped  forward, 
and,  bowing  politely  to  the  cornet,  said  authoritatively, 
"  Mrs.  Dodd  sends  me  to  conduct  you  to  her.  With  your 
permission,  sir."  His  arm  was  offered  and  taken  before 
the  little  warrior  knew  where  he  was. 

He  had  her  on  his  arm,  soft,  light,  and  fragrant  as 
zephyr,  and  her  cool  breath  wooing  his  neck;  oh,  the 
thrill  of  that  moment !  but  her  first  word  was  to  ask 
him,  with  considerable  anxiety,  ''Why  did  mamma  leave 
you  ?  " 

"Miss  Dodd,  I  am  the  most  unhappy  of  men." 

"No  doubt,  no  doubt,"  said  she  a  little  crossly.  She 
added  with  one  of  her  gushes  of  naivete,  "  and  I  shall  be 
unhappy  too  if  you  go  and  displease  mamma." 

"  What  could  I  do  ?  A  gang  of  snobbesses  were 
detracting  from  —  somebody.  To  speak  plainly,  they 
were  running  down — the  loveliest  of  her  sex.  Your 
mamma  told  me  to  keep  quiet.  And  so  I  did  till  I  got 
a  fair  chance,  and  then  I  gave  it  them  in  their  teeth." 
He  ground  his  own,  and  added,  "  I  think  I  was  very  good 
not  to  kick  them." 

Julia  colored  with  pleasure,  and  proceeded  to  turn  it 
off.  "Oh  I  most  forbearing  and  considerate,"  said  she. 
"Ah !  by  the  way,  I  think  I  did  hear  some  ladies  express 
a  misgiving  as  to  the  pecuniary  value  of  my  costume. 
Ha!  ha!  Oh  —  you  —  foolish!  Fancy  noticing  that! 
Why,  it  is  in  little  sneers  that  the  approval  of  the  ladies 
shows  itself  at  a  ball,  and  it  is  a  much  sincerer  compliment 
than  the  gentlemen's  bombastical  praises,  '  the  fairest  of 
her  sex,'  and  so  on,  that  none  but  the  'silliest  of  her  sex' 
believe." 


126  HARD   CASH. 

"Miss  Dodd,  I  never  said  the  fairest  of  her  sex.  I 
said  the  loveliest." 

"  Oh !  that  alters  the  case  entirely,"  said  Julia,  whose 
spirits  were  mounting  with  the  lights  and  music,  and 
Alfred's  company ;  "  so  now  come  and  be  reconciled  to 
the  best  and  wisest  of  her  sex ;  ay  !  and  the  beautifullest, 
if  you  but  knew  her  sweet,  dear,  darling  face  as  I  do. 
There  she  is ;  let  us  fly. 

"Mamma,  here  is  a  penitent  for  you,  real  or  feigned, 
I  don't  know  which." 

"Real,  IVIrs.  Dodd,"  said  Alfred.  "I  had  no  right  to 
disobey  you  and  risk  a  scene.  You  served  me  right  by 
abandoning  me.  I  feel  the  rebuke  and  its  justice.  Let 
me  hope  your  vengeance  will  go  no  further." 

Mrs.  Dodd  smiled  at  the  grandiloquence  of  youth,  and 
told  him  he  had  mistaken  her  character.  "I  saw  I  had 
acquired  a  generous,  hot-headed  ally,  who  was  bent  on 
doing  battle  with  insects,  so  I  withdrew ;  but  so  I  should 
at  Waterloo,  or  anywhere  else  where  people  put  them- 
selves in  a  passion." 

The  band  struck  up  again. 

"Ah!"  said  Julia,  "and  I  promised  j'ou  this  dance; 
but  it  is  a  waltz,  and  my  guardian  angel  objects  to  the 
valse  a  deux  tempsy 

"Decidedly.  Should  all  the  mothers  in  England  permit 
their  daughters  to  romp  and  wrestle  in  public,  and  call  it 
waltzing,  I  must  stand  firm  till  they  return  to  their 
senses." 

Julia  looked  at  Alfred  despondentl}'.  He  took  his  cue, 
and  said  with  a  smile,  "Well,  perhaps  it  is  a  little  rompy ; 
a  donkey's  gallop,  and  then  twirl  her  like  a  mop." 

"  Since  you  admit  that,  perhaps  you  can  waltz  prop- 
erly ? "  said  Mrs.  Dodd. 

Alfred  said  he  ought.  He  had  given  his  whole  soul  to 
it  in  Germany  last  long. 


HARD   CASH.  127 

"  Then  I  can  have  the  pleasure  of  dropping  the  tyrant. 
Away  with  you  both  while  there  is  room  to  circulate." 

Alfred  took  his  partner  delicately  ;  they  made  just  two 
catlike  steps  forward,  and  melted  into  the  old-fashioned 
waltz. 

It  was  an  exquisite  moment.  To  most  young  people 
love  comes  after  a  great  deal  of  waltzing.  But  this  pair 
brought  the  awakened  tenderness  and  trembling  sensi- 
bilities of  two  burning  hearts  to  this  their  first  intoxicat- 
ing whirl.  To  them,  therefore,  every  thing  was  an  event, 
everything  was  a  thrill :  the  first  meeting  and  timid 
pressure  of  their  hands,  the  first  delicate  enfolding  of 
her  supple  waist  by  his  strong  arm  but  trembling  hand, 
the  delightful  unison  of  their  unerring  feet,  the  move- 
ment, the  music,  the  soft  delicious  whirl,  her  cool  breath 
saluting  his  neck,  his  ardent  but  now  liquid  eyes  seeking 
hers  tenderly  and  drinking  them  deep,  hers  that  now  and 
then  sipped  his  so  sweeth';  all  these  were  new  and  sepa- 
rate joys,  that  linked  themselves  in  one  soft  delirium  of 
bliss.     It  was  not  a  waltz,  it  was  an  ecstasy. 

Starting  almost  alone,  this  peerless  pair  danced  a 
gauntlet.  On  each  side  admiration  and  detraction  buzzed 
all  the  time. 

"  Beautiful !     They  are  turning  in  the  air." 

"Quite  gone  by.     That's  how  the  old  fogies  dance," 

Chorals  of  shallow  males.     How  well  she  waltzes. 

Chorus  of  shallow  females.     How  well  he  waltzes. 

But  they  noted  neither  praise  nor  detraction;  they  saw 
nothing,  heard  nothing,  felt  nothing,  but  themselves  and 
the  other  music,  till  two  valsers  a  deux  temps  plunged 
into  them.  Thus  smartly  reminded  they  had  not  earth 
all  to  themselves,  they  laughed  good-humoredly,  and 
paused. 

"  Ah  !  I  am  happy  !  "  gushed  from  Julia.  She  blushed 
at  herself,  and  said  severely,  "  You  dance  very  well,  sir." 


128  HARD   CASH. 

This  was  said  to  justify  her  unguarded  admission,  and 
did,  after  a  fashion.  "  1  think  it  is  time  to  go  to 
mamma,"  said  she  demurely. 

"  So  soon ;  and  I  had  so  much  to  say  to  you." 

"  Oh  !  very  well.     I  am  all  attention." 

The  sudden  facility  offered  set  Alfred  stammering  a 
little.  "1  wanted  to  apologize  to  you  for  something  — 
you  are  so  good,  you  seem  to  have  forgotten  it  —  but  1 
dare  not  hope  that  —  I  mean  at  Henley  — -  when  the 
beauty  of  your  character,  and  your  goodness,  so  over- 
powered me,  that  a  fatal  impulse  "  — 

"What  do  you  mean,  sir?"  said  Julia,  looking  him 
full  in  the  face,  like  an  offended  lion,  while,  with  true 
feminine  and  Julian  inconsistency,  her  bosom  fluttered 
like  a  dove.  "1  never  exchanged  one  word  with  you  in 
my  life  before  to-day ;  and  1  never  shall  again  if  you 
pretend  the  contrary." 

Alfred  stood  stupefied,  and  looked  at  her  in  piteous 
amazement. 

*'  I  value  your  acquaintance  highly,  Mr.  Hardie,  now  I 
have  made  it,  as  acquaintances  are  made ;  but  please  to 
observe,  I  never  saw  you  before  —  scarcely  ;  not  even  in 
church." 

"  As  you  please,"  said  he,  recovering  his  wits  in  part. 
"  What  you  say,  I'll  swear  to." 

''Then  I  say,  never  remind  a  lady  of  what  you  ought 
to  wish  her  to  forget." 

"I  was  a  fool.  And  you  are  an  angel  of  tact  and 
goodness." 

"  Oh,  now  I  am  sure  it  is  time  to  join  mamma,"  said 
she,  in  the  dryest,  drollest  way.     "  Valsons." 

They  waltzed  down  to  Mrs.  Dodd,  exchanging  hearts 
at  every  turn,  and  they  took  a  good  many  in  the  space 
of  a  round  table,  for  in  truth  both  were  equally  loath  to 
part. 


flARD   CASH.  l29 

Afr  two  o'clock  Mrs.  Dodd  resumed  commonplace  views 
of  a  daughter's  health,  and  rose  to  go. 

Her  fly  had  played  her  false,  and,  being  our  island 
home,  it  rained  buckets.  Alfred  ran,  before  they  could 
stop  him,  and  caught  a  fly.  He  was  dripping.  Mrs. 
Dodd  expressed  her  regrets ;  he  told  her  it  did  not 
matter;  for  him  the  ball  was  now  over,  the  flowers 
faded,  and  the  lights  darkness  visible. 

"The  extravagance  of  these  children!"  said  Mrs. 
Dodd  to  Julia,  with  a  smile,  as  soon  as  he  was  out  of 
hearing.     Julia  made  no  reply. 

Next  day  she  was  at  evening  church;  the  congrega- 
tion was  very  sparse.  The  first  glance  revealed  Alfred 
Hardie  standing  in  the  vevy  next  pew.  He  wore  a  calm 
front  of  conscious  rectitude,  under  which  peeped  sheep- 
faced  misgivings  as  to  the  result  of  this  advance ;  for, 
like  all  true  lovers,  he  was  half  impudence,  half  timidity  ; 
and  both  on  the  grand  scale. 

Now,  Julia  in  a  ballroom  was  one  creature,  another  in 
church.  After  the  first  surprise,  which  sent  the  blood 
for  a  moment  to  her  cheek,  she  found  he  had  come  with- 
out a  prayer-book.  She  looked  sadly  and  half  reproach- 
fully at  him ;  then  put  her  white  hai:id  calmly  over  the 
wooden  partition,  and  made  him  read  with  her  out  of 
her  book.  She  shared  her  hymn-book  with  him,  too,  and 
sang  her  Maker's  praise  modestly  and  soberly,  but  ear- 
nestly, and  quite  undisturbed  by  her  lover's  presence. 
It  seemed  as  if  this  pure  creature  was  drawing  him  to 
heaven  holding  by  that  good  book,  and  by  her  touching 
voice.  He  felt  good  all  over.  To  be  like  her  he 
tried  to  bend  his  whole  mind  on  the  prayers  of  the 
Church,  and  for  the  first  time  realized  how  beautiful 
they  are. 

After  service  he  followed  her  to  the  door.  Island 
home  again,  by  the  pailful ;  and  she  had  a  thick  shawl, 


130  HAKD   CASH. 

but  no  umbrella.  He  had  brought  a  large  one  on  the 
chance';  he  would  see  her  home. 

"  Quite  unnecessary,  it  is  so  near." 

He  insisted;  she  persisted;  and,  persisting,  yielded. 
They  said  but  little,  yet  they  seemed  to  interchange 
volumes ;  and,  at  each  gas-light  they  passed,  they  stole  a 
look,  and  treasured  it  to  feed  on. 

That  night  was  one  broad  step  more  towards  the  great 
happiness,  or  great  misery,  which  awaits  a  noble  love. 
Such  loves,  somewhat  rare  in  nature,  have  lately  become 
so  very  rare  in  fiction,  that  I  have  ventured,  with  many 
misgivings,  to  detail  the  peculiarities  of  its  rise  and 
progress.  But  now  for  a  time  it  advanced  on  beaten 
tracks ;  Alfred  had  the  right  to  call  at  Albion  Villa,  and 
he  came  twice ;  once  when  Mrs.  Dodd  was  out.  This 
was  the  time  he  stayed  the  two  hours.  A  Mrs.  James 
invited  Jane  and  him  to  tea  and  exposition.  There  he 
met  Julia  and  Edward,  who  had  just  returned.  Edward 
was  taken  with  Jane  Hardie's  face  and  dovelike  eyes ; 
eyes  that  dwelt  with  a  soft  and  chastened  admiration  on 
his  masculine  face  and  his  model  form,  and  their  owner 
felt  she  had  received  "  a  call  "  to  watch  over  his  spiritual 
weal.     So  they  paired  off. 

Julia's  fluctuating  spirits  settled  now  into  a  calm, 
demure  complacency.  Her  mother,  finding  this  strange 
remedial  virtue  in  youthful  society,  gave  young  parties, 
inviting  Jane  and  Alfred  in  their  turn.  Jane  hesitated ; 
but,  as  she  could  no  longer  keep  Julia  from  knowing  her 
worldly  brother,  and  hoped  a  way  might  be  opened  for 
her  to  rescue  Edward,  she  relaxed  her  general  rule, 
which  was  to  go  into  no  company  unless  some  religious 
service  formed  part  of  the  entertainment.  Yet  her  con- 
science was  ill  at  ease ;  and,  to  set  them  an  example,  she 
took  care,  when  she  asked  the  Dodds  in  return,  to  have 
a  clergyman  there  of  her  own  party,  who  could  pray  and 
expound  with  unction. 


HARD   CASH.  131 

Mrs.  Dodd,  not  to  throw  cold  water  on  what  seemed 
to  gratify  her  children,  accepted  Miss  Hardie's'  invita- 
tion; but  she  never  intended  to  go,  and  at  the  last 
moment  wrote  to  say  she  was  slightly  indisposed.  The 
nature  of  her  indisposition  she  revealed  to  Julia  alone : 
"  That  young  lady  keeps  me  on  thorns.  I  never  feel 
secure  she  will  not  say  or  do  something  extravagant  or 
unusual ;  she  seems  to  suspect  sobriety  and  good  taste 
of  being  in  league  with  impiety.  Here  I  succeed  in 
bridling  her  a  little ;  but  encounter  a  female  enthusiast 
in  her  own  house?  merci!  After  all,  there  must  be 
something  good  in  her,  since  she  is  your  friend,  and  you 
are  hers ;  but  I  have  something  more  serious  to  say 
before  you  go  there.  It  is  about  her  brother ;  he  is  a 
flirt ;  in  fact,  a  notorious  one,  more  than  one  lady  tells 
me." 

Julia  was  silent,  but  began  to  be  very  uneasy ;  they 
were  sitting  and  talking  after  sunset,  yet  without  can- 
dles ;  she  profited  for  once  by  that  prodigious  gap  in  the 
intelligence  of  "the  sex." 

"  I  hear  he  pays  you  compliments,  and  I  have  seen  a 
disposition  to  single  you  out.  Now,  my  love,  you  have 
the  good  sense  to  know  that,  whatever  a  young  gentle- 
man of  that  age  says  to  you,  he  says  to  many  other 
ladies ;  but  your  experience  is  not  equal  to  your  sense, 
so  profit  by  mine ;  a  girl  of  your  age  must  never  be 
talked  of  with  a  person  of  the  other  sex;  it  is  fatal, 
fatal !  but  if  you  permit  yourself  to  be  singled  out,  you 
will  be  talked  of,  and  distress  those  who  love  you.  It  is 
easy  to  avoid  injudicious  duets  in  society :  oblige  me  by 
doing  so  to-night."  To  show  how  much  she  was  in 
earnest,  Mrs.  Dodd  hinted  that,  were  her  admonition 
neglected,  she  should  regret  for  once  having  kept  clear 
of  an  enthusiast. 

Julia  had  no  alternative  :  she  assented  in  a  faint  voice. 


132  HARD  CASH. 

After  a  pause  she  faltered  out,  "And  suppose  he  should 
esteem  me  seriously  ?  " 

Mrs.  Dodd  replied  quickly,  "  Then  that  would  be  much 
worse.  But,"  said  she,  "I  have  no  apprehensions  on 
that  score ;  you  are  a  child,  and  he  is  a  precocious  boy, 
and  rather  a  flirt.  But  forewarned  is  forearmed.  So 
now  run  away  and  dress,  sweet  one ;  my  lecture  is  quite 
ended." 

The  sensitive  girl  went  up  to  her  room  with  a  heavy 
heart.  All  the  fears  she  had  lulled  of  late  revived. 
She  saw  plainly  now  that  Mrs.  Dodd  only  accepted 
Alfred  as  a  pleasant  acquaintance ;  as  a  son-in-law  he 
was  out  of  the  question.  "Oh,  what  will  she  say  when 
she  knows  all  ?  '"  thought  Julia. 

Next  day,  sitting  near  the  window,  she  saw  him 
coming  up  the  road.  After  the  first  movement  of  pleas- 
ure at  the  bare  sight  of  him,  she  was-  sorry  he  had  come. 
Mamma's  suspicions  aAvake  at  last,  and  here  he  was 
again ;  the  third  call  in  one  fortnight !  She  dared  not 
risk  an  interview  with  him,  ardent  and  unguarded,  under 
that  penetrating  eye,  which  she  felt  would  now  be  on 
the  watch.  She  rose  hurriedly,  said  as  carelessly  as  she 
could,  "  I  am  going  to  the  school ; "  and,  tying  her 
bonnet  on  all  in  a  flurry,  whipped  out  at  the  back  door 
with  her  shawl  in  her  hand,  just  as  Sarah  opened  the 
front  door  to  Alfred.  She  then  shuffled  on  her  shawl, 
and  whisked  through  the  little  shrubbery  into  the  open 
field,  and  reached  a  path  that  led  to  the  school ;  and  so 
gratified  was  she  at  her  dexterity  in  evading  her  favorite, 
that  she  hung  her  head,  and  went  murmuring,  "Cruel, 
cruel,  cruel ! " 
1  Alfred  entered  the  drawing-room  gayly,  with  a  good- 
sized  card  and  a  prepared  speech.  His  was  not  the  visit 
of  a  friend  but  a  functionary ;  the  treasurer  of  the 
cricket-ground  come  to  book  two  of  his  eighteen  to  play 


HARD   CASH.  133 

against  the  All  England  Eleven  next  month.  "As  for 
you,  my  worthy  sir  (turning  to  Edward),  1  shall  just 
put  3'ou  down  Avithout  ceremony.  But  I  must  ask  leave 
to  book  Captain  Dodd.  jMrs.  Dodd,  I  come  at  the  uni- 
versal desire  of  the  club:  they  say  it  is  sure  to  be  a  dull 
match  without  Captain  Dodd.  Besides,  he  is  a  capital 
player." 

"  Mamma,  don't  you  be  caught  by  his  chaff,"  said 
Edward,  quietly.  "  Papa  is  no  player  at  all.  Anything 
more  unlike  cricket  than  his  way  of  making  runs  !  " 

"  But  he  makes  them,  old  fellow ;  now  you  and  I,  at 
Lord's  the  other  day,  played  in  first-rate  form :  left 
shoulder  well  up,  and  achieved,  with  neatness,  precision, 
dextei'ity,  and  despatch,  the  British  duck's-egg." 

"  3Iisericorde  !     What  is  that  ?  "  inquired  ]\Irs.  Dodd. 

"  Why,  a  round  0,"  said  the  other  Oxonian,  coming  to 
his  friend's  aid. 

"  And  what  is  that,  pray  ?  " 

Alfred  told  her  "  The  round  0,"  which  had  yielded  to 
"  the  duck's  Qg%^^  and  was  becoming  obsolete,  meant  the 
cipher  set  by  the  scorer  against  a  player's  name,  who  is 
out  without  making  a  run. 

"I  see,"  sighed  Mrs.  Dodd.  *'The  jargon  of  the  day 
penetrates  to  your  very  sports  and  games.  And  why 
British  ?  " 

"Oh,  'British'  is  redundant:  thrown  in  by  the  univer- 
sities." 

"  But  what  does  it  mean  ?  " 

"  It  means  nothing.  That  is  the  beauty  of  it.  British 
is  inserted  in  imitation  of  our  idols,  the  Greeks ;  they 
adored  redundancy." 

In  short,  poor  Alfred,  though  not  an  jNI.P.,  was  talking 
to  put  off  time,  till  Julia  should  come  in ;  so  he  now 
favored  Mrs.  Dodd,  of  all  people,  with  a  flowery  descrip- 
tion of  her  husband's  play,  which  I,  who  have  not  his 


134  HARD   CASH. 

motive  for  volubility,  suppress.  However,  he  wound  up 
with  the  captain's  "moral  influence."  "Last  match," 
said  he,  "  Barkington  did  not  do  itself  justice.  Several, 
that  could  have  made  a  stand,  were  frightened  out, 
rather  than  bowled,  by  the  London  professionals.  Then 
Captain  Dodd  went  in,  and  treated  those  artists  with  the 
same  good-humored  contempt  he  would  a  parish  bowler ; 
and,  in  particular,  sent  Mynne's  over-tossed  balls  flying 
over  his  head  for  five,  or  to  square  leg  for  four ;  and,  on 
his  retiring  with  twenty-five,  scored  in  eight  minutes, 
the  remaining  Barkiugtonians  were  less  funky,  and  made 
some  fair  scores." 

Mrs.  Dodd  smiled  a  little  ironically  at  this  tirade,  but 
said  she  thought  she  might  venture  to  promise  Mr. 
Dodd's  co-operation,  should  he  reach  home  in  time. 
Then,  to  get  rid  of  Alfred  before  Julia's  return,  the 
amiable  worldling  turned  to  Edward.  *'  Your  sister  will 
not  be  back,  so  you  may  as  well  ring  the  bell  for  luncheon 
at  once.     Perhaps  j\Ir.  Hardie  will  join  us  ?  " 

Alfred  declined,  and  took  his  leave  with  far  less 
alacrity  than  he  had  entered ;  Edward  went  down-stairs 
with  him. 

"  Miss  Dodd  gone  on  a  visit  ?  "  asked  Alfred,  affecting 
carelessness. 

"  Only  to  the  school.  By-the-by,  I  will  go  and  fetch 
her." 

"No,  don't  do  that;  call  on  my  sister  instead,  and 
then  you  will  pull  me  out  of  a  scrape.  I  promised  to 
bring  her  here ;  but  her  saintship  was  so  long  adorning 
*  the  poor  perishable  body,'  that  I  came  alone." 

"I  don't  understand  you,"  said  Edward.  "I  am  not 
the  attraction  here ;  it  is  Julia." 

"  How  do  you  know  that  ?  When  a  young  lady  inter- 
ests herself  in  an  undergraduate's  soul,  it  is  a  pretty 
sure  sign  she  likes  the  looks  of  him.     But  perhaps  you 


HARD   CASH.  135 

don't  want  to  be  converted ;  if  so,  keep  clear  of  her. 
'  Bar  the  fell  dragon's  blighting  way ;  but  shun  that 
lovely  snare.' " 

"On  the  contrary,"  said  Edward,  calmly,  "I  only  wish 
she  could  make  me  as  good  as  she  is,  or  half  as  good." 

"  Give  her  the  chance,  old  fellow,  and  then  it  won't  be 
your  fault  if  she  makes  a  mess  of  it.  Call  at  two,  and 
Jenny  will  receive  you  very  kindly,  and  will  show  you 
you  are  in  the  'gall  of  bitterness  and  the  bond  of 
iniquity.'     Now,  won't  that  be  nice  ?  " 

"  I  will  go,"  said  Edward,  gravely. 

They  parted.  Where  Alfred  went,  the  reader  can, 
perhaps,  guess ;  Edward  to  luncheon. 

"Mamma,"  said  he,  with  that  tranquillity  which  sat 
so  well  on  him,  "don't  you  think  Alfred  Hardie  is 
spoony  upon  our  Julia  ?  " 

Mrs.  Dodd  suppressed  a  start,  and  (perhaps  to  gain 
time  before  replying  sincerely)  said  she  had  not  the 
honor  of  knowing  what  "spoony"  meant. 

"  ^Yhy,  sighs  for  her  and  dies  for  her,  and  fancies  she 
is  prettier  than  Miss  Hardie.  He  must  be  over  head 
and  ears  to  think  that." 

"  Fie,  child ! "  was  the  answer.  "  If  I  thought  so,  I 
should  withdraw  from  their  acquaintance.  Excuse  me; 
I  must  put  on  my  bonnet  at  once,  not  to  lose  this  fine 
afternoon." 

Edward  did  not  relish  her  remark ;  it  menaced  more 
spoons  than  one.  However,  he  was  not  the  man  to  be 
cast  down  at  a  word;  he  lighted  a  cigar,  and  strolled 
towards  Hardie's  house.  Mr.  Hardie,  senior,  had  left 
three  days  ago  on  a  visit  to  London.  Miss  Hardie 
received  him ;  he  passed  the  afternoon  in  calm  compla- 
cency, listening  reverently  to  her  admonitions,  and  look- 
ing her  softly  out  of  countenance,  and  into  earthly 
affections,  with  his  lion  eyes. 


136  HARD   CASH. 

Meantime  his  remark,  so  far  from  really  seeming  foolish 
to  Mrs.  Dodd,  was  the  true  reason  for  her  leaving  him 
so  abrii])tly.  "  Even  this  dear  slow  thing  sees  it," 
thought  she.  She  must  talk  to  Julia  more  seriously,  and 
would  go  to  the  school  at  once.  She  went  up-stairs,  and 
put  on  her  bonnet  and  shawl  before  the  glass,  then 
moulded  on  her  gloves,  and  came  down  equipped.  On 
the  stairs  was  a  large  window  looking  upon  the  open 
field :  she  naturally  cast  her  eyes  through  it,  in  the 
direction  she  was  going,  and  what  did  she  see  but  a 
young  lady  and  gentleman  coming  slowly  down  the  path 
towards  the  villa.  Mrs.  Dodd  bit  her  lip  with  vexation, 
and  looked  keenly  at  them,  to  divine  on  what  terms 
they  were.  And  the  more  she  looked,  the  more  uneasy 
she  grew. 

The  head,  the  hand,  the  whole  body  of  a  sensitive 
young  woman  walking  beside  him  she  loves,  betray  her 
heart  to  experienced  eyes  watching  unseen,  and  espe- 
cially to  female  eyes.  And  why  did  Julia  move  so 
slowly,  especially  after  that  warning  ?  Why  was  her 
head  averted  from  that  encroaching  boy,  and  herself  so 
near  him  ?  Why  not  keep  her  distance,  and  look  him 
full  in  the  face  ?  Mrs.  Dodd's  first  impulse  was  that  of 
leopardesses,  lionesses,  hens,  and  all  the  mothers  in 
nature, — to  dart  from  her  ambush  and  protect  her 
young,  but  she  controlled  it  by  a  strong  effort.  It 
seemed  wiser  to  descry  the  truth,  and  then  act  with  reso- 
lution ;  besides,  the  young  people  were  now  almost  at 
the  shrubbery,  so  the  mischief,  if  any,  was  done. 

They  entered  the  shrubbery. 

To  Afrs.  Dodd's  surprise  and  dismay,  they  did  not 
come  out  this  side  so  quickly.  She  darted  her  eye  into 
the  plantation,  and  lo !  Alfred  had  seized  the  fatal 
opportunity  foliage  offers,  even  when  thinnish  :  he  held 
Julia's  hand,  and  was  pleading  eagerly  for  something 


HARD   CASH.  137 

she  seemed  not  disposed  to  grant,  for  she  turned  away 
and  made  an  effort  to  leave  him.  But  INIrs.  Dodd,  stand- 
ing there  quivering  with  maternal  anxiety,  and  hot  with 
shame,  could  not  but  doubt  the  sincerity  of  that  grace- 
ful resistance.  If  she  had  been  quite  in  earnest,  Julia 
had  fire  enough  in  her  to  box  the  little  wretch's  ears. 
She  ceased  even  to  doubt,  when  she  saw  that  her  daugh- 
ter's opposition  ended  in  his  getting  hold  of  two  hands 
instead  of  one,  and  devouring  them  with  kisses,  while 
Julia  still  drew  her  head  and  neck  away ;  but  the  rest  of 
her  supple  frame  seemed  to  yield  and  incline,  and  draw 
softly  towards  her  besieger  by  some  irresistible  spell. 

"  I  can  bear  no  more  !  "  gasped  Mrs.  Dodd  aloud,  and 
turned  to  hasten  and  part  them  ;  but  even  as  she  curved 
her  stately  neck  to  go,  she  caught  the  lovers  parting,  and 
a  very  pretty  one,  too,  if  she  could  but  have  looked  at 
it,  as  these  things  ought  always  to  be  looked  at,  artist- 
ically. 

Julia's  head  and  lovely  throat,  unable  to  draw  the 
rest  of  her  away,  compromised:  they  turned,  declined, 
drooped,  and  rested  one  half  moment  on  her  captor's 
shoulder,  like  a  settling  dove  ;  the  next,  she  scudded 
from  him,  and  made  for  the  house  alone. 

Mrs.  Dodd,  deeply  indignant,  but  too  wise  to  court  a 
painful  interview  with  her  own  heart  beating  high,  went 
into  the  drawing-room,  and  there  sat  down  to  recover 
some  little  composure.  But  she  was  hardly  seated  when 
Julia's  innocent  voice  was  heard  calling,  "  Mamma, 
mamma ! "  and  soon  she  came  bounding  into  the  draw- 
ing-room, brimful  of  good  news,  her  cheeks  as  red  as 
fire,  and  her  eyes  wet  with  happy  tears,  and  there  con- 
fronted her  mother,  who  had  started  up  at  her  footstep, 
and  now,  with  one  hand  nipping  the  back  of  the  chair 
convulsively,  stood  lofty,  looking  strangely  agitated  and 
hostile. 


138  HAKD   CASH. 

The  two  ladies  eyed  one  another,  silent,  yet  expressive, 
like  a  picture  facing  a  statue  ;  but  soon  the  color  died 
out  of  Julia's  face  as  well,  and  she  began  to  cower  with 
vague  fears  before  that  stately  figure,  so  gentle  and 
placid  usually,  but  now  so  discomposed  and  stern. 

''  Where  have  you  been,  Julia  ?  " 

"  Only  at  the  school,"  she  faltered. 

"  Who  was  your  companion  home  ?  " 

"  Oh,  don't  be  angry  with  me  !     It  was  Alfred." 

"  Alfred  !  His  Christian  name  !  You  try  my  patience 
too  hard." 

"Forgive  me!  I  was  not  to  blame  this  time  indeed, 
indeed  !  You  frighten  me.  What  will  become  of  me  ? 
What  have  I  done,  for  my  own  mamma  to  look  at  me 
so?" 

Mrs.  Dodd  groaned.  "Was  that  young  coquette  I 
watched  from  my  window  the  child  I  have  reared  ? 
No  face  on  earth  is  to  be  trusted  after  this.  '  What 
have  you  done,'  indeed  ?  Only  risked  your  own  mother's 
esteem,  and  nearly  broken  her  heart !  "  And  with  these 
words  her  own  courage  began  to  give  way,  and  she  sank 
into  a  chair  with  a  deep  sigh. 

At  this  Julia  screamed,  and  threw  herself  on  her 
knees  beside  her,  and  cried,  "  Kill  me  !  oh,  pray  kill 
me,  but  don't  drive  me  to  despair  with  such  cruel  words 
and  looks  !  "  and  fell  to  sobbing  so  wildly  that  Mrs. 
Dodd  altered  her  tone  with  almost  Uidicrous  rapidity. 
"  There,  do  not  terrify  me  with  your  impetuosity,  after 
grieving  me  so.  Be  calm,  child ;  let  me  see  whether  I 
cannot  remedy  your  sad  imprudence,  and,  that  I  may, 
pray  tell  nie  the  whole  truth.  How  did  this  come 
about  ?  " 

In  reply  to  this  question,  which  she  somewhat  mis- 
took, Julia  sobbed  out,  "He  met  me  c-coming  out  of  the 
school,  and  asked  to  s-see  me  home.     I  said,  '  No,  thank 


HARD   CASH.  139 

you/  because  I  th-thought  of  your  warning.  'Oh,  yes,' 
said  he,  and  would  walk  with  me,  and  keep  saying  he 
loved  me.  So,  to  stop  him,  I  said,  '  M-much  ob-liged, 
but  I  was  b-busy  and  had  no  time  to  flirt.'  —  '  Nor  have 
I  the  in-inclination,'  said  he.  '  That  is  not  what  others 
say  of  you,'  said  I, — you  know  what  you  t-told  me, 
mamma,  —  so  at  last  he  said  d-did  ever  he  ask  any  lady 
to  be  his  wife  ?  '  I  suppose  not,'  said  I,  '  or  you  would 
be  p-p-private  property  "by  now  instead  of  p-public.'  " 

"  Now  there  was  a  foolish  speech ;  as  much  as  to  say 
nobody  could  resist  him." 

"  W-wasn't  it  ?  And  n-no  more  they  could.  You 
have  no  idea  how  he  makes  love ;  so  unladylike ;  keeps 
advancing  and  advancing,  and  never  once  retreats,  nor 
even  st-ops.  '  But  I  ask  yoic  to  be  my  wife,'  said  he. 
0  mamma,  I  trembled  so !  Why  did  I  tremble  ?  I 
don't  know.  I  made  myself  cold  and  haughty :  '  I 
should  make  no  reply  to  such  ridiculous  questions ;  say 
that  to  mamma,  if  you  dare  ! '  I  said." 

Mrs.  Dodd  bit  her  lip,  and  said,  "  Was  there  ever  such 
simplicity  ?  " 

"  Simple  !  ^Tiy,  that  was  ray  cunning.  You  are  the 
only  creature  he  is  afraid  of,  so  I  thought  to  stop  his 
mouth  with  you.  But  instead  of  that  my  lord  said 
calmly,  '  That  was  understood :  he  loved  me  too  Avell 
to  steal  me  from  her  to  whom  he  was  indebted  for  me.' 
Oh,  he  has  always  an  answer  ready.  And  that  makes 
him  such  a  p-pest." 

"  It  was  an  answer  that  did  him  credit." 

"  Dear  mamma,  now  did  it  not  ?  Then  at  parting  he 
said  he  would  come  to-morrow  and  ask  you  for  my  hand, 
but  I  must  intercede  wdth  j-ou  first,  or  you  would  be  sure 
to  say  '  No.'  So  I  declined  to  interfere :  '  W-w-Avhat 
was  it  to  me  ?  '  I  said.  He  begged  and  prayed  me : 
'  Was  it  likely  you  would  give  him   such  a  treasure  a^ 


140  HARD   CASH. 

me  unless  I  stood  his  friend  ? '  (For  the  b-b-brazen 
thing  turns  humble  now  and  then.)  And  0  !  mamma, 
he  did  so  implore  me  to  pity  him,  and  kept  saying  no 
man  ever  loved  as  he  loved  me,  and  with  his  begging 
and  praying  me  so  passionately,  oh,  so  passionately  !  I 
felt  something  warm  drop  from  his  poor  eyes  on  my 
hand.  Oh  !  oh  !  oh  !  oh  !  What  could  I  do  ?  And 
then,  you  know,  I  wanted  to  get  away  from  him.  So  I 
am  afraid  I  did  just  say  'yes,'  but  only  in  a  whisper. 
JNIarama,  my  own,  good,  kind,  darling  mamma,  have  pity 
on  him  and  on  me  :  we  love  one  another  so." 

A  shower  of  tender  tears  gushed  out  in  support  of 
this  appeal,  and  in  a  moment  she  was  caught  up  in  Love's 
mighty  arms,  and  her  head  laid  on  her  mother's  yearn- 
ing bosom.     No  word  was  needed  to  reconcile  these  two. 

After  a  long  silence,  Mrs.  Dodd  said  this  would  be  a 
warning  never  to  judge  her  sweet  child  from  a  distance 
again,  nor  unheard.  ''And  therefore,"  said  she,  "let 
me  hear  from  your  own  lips  how  so  serious  an  attach- 
ment could  spring  up ;  why,  it  is  scarcely  a  month  since 
you  were  first  introduced  at  that  ball." 

"  Mamma,"  murmured  Julia,  hanging  her  head,  "  you 
are  mistaken:  we  knew  each  other  before." 

Mrs.  Dodd  looked  all  astonishment. 

"  Now  I  will  ease  my  heart,"  said  Julia  impetuously, 
addressing  some  invisible  obstacle.  "  I  tell  you  I  am 
sick  of  having  secrets  from  my  own  mother."  And 
with  this  out  it  all  came.  She  told  the  story  of  her 
heart  better  than  I  have,  and,  woman-like,  dwelt  on  the 
depths  of  loyalty  and  delicate  love  she  had  read  in 
Alfred's  moonlit  face  that  night  at  Henley.  She  said  no 
eloquence  could  have  touched  her  like  it.  "Mamma, 
something  said  to  me,  '  Ay,  look  at  him  well,  for  that  is 
your  Imsband  to  be.' "  She  even  tried  to  solve  the  mys- 
tery of  her  sol-disant  sickness  :  "  I  was  disturbed  by  a 


HARD   CASH.  141 

feeling  so  new  and  so  powerful,^  but,  above  all,  by  hav- 
ing a  secret  from  you :  the  first,  the  last."' 

"  Well,  darling,  then  why  have  a  secret  ?  Why  not 
trust  me,  your  friend  as  well  as  your  mother  ?  " 

"  Ah  !  why,  indeed  ?  I  am  a  puzzle  to  myself.  I 
wanted  you  to  know,  and  yet  I  could  not  tell  you.  I 
kept  giving  you  hints,  and  hoped  so  you  would  take 
them,  and  make  me  speak  out.  But  when  I  tried  to 
tell  you  plump,  something  kept  pull  —  pull  —  pulling 
me  inside,  and  I  couldn't.  Mark  my  words :  some  day 
it  will  turn  out  that  I  am  neither  more  nor  less  than  a 
fool." 

Mrs.  Dodd  slighted  this  ingenious  solution.  She  said, 
after  a  moment's  reflection,  that  the  fault  of  this  mis- 
understanding lay  between  the  two.  ''  I  remember  now 
I  have  had  many  hints  :  my  mind  must  surely  have  gone 
to  sleep.  I  was  a  poor  simple  woman  who  thought  her 
daughter  was  to  be  always  a  child.  And  you  were  very 
wrong  to  go  and  set  a  limit  to  your  mother's  love :  there 
is  none,  —  none  whatever."  She  added,  "I  must  import 
a  little  prudence  and  respect  for  the  world's  opinion 
into  this  new  connection ;  but  whoever  you  love  shall 
find  no  enemy  in  me." 

Next  day  Alfred  came  to  know  his  fate.  He  Avas 
received  with  ceremonious  courtesy.  At  first  he  was  a 
good  deal  embarrassed,  but  this  was  no  sooner  seen  than 
it  was  relieved  by  Mrs.  Dodd  with  tact  and  gentleness. 
When  her  turn  came  she  said,  "  Your  papa  ?  Of  course 
you  have  communicated  this  step  to  him  ?  " 

Alfred  looked  a  little  confused,  and  said,  "  No  :  he 
left  for  London  two  days  ago,  as  it  happens." 

"  That  is  unfortunate,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd.     "  Your  best 

I  Perhaps  even  this  faint  attempt  at  self-analysis  was  due  to  the  influence 
of  Dr.  Whately,  for,  by  nature,  young  ladies  of  this  age  seldom  turn  the  eye 
inward. 


142  HARD   CASH. 

plan  would  be  to  write  to  liim  at  once  :  I  need  hardly 
tell  you  that  we  shall  enter  no  family  without  an  invita- 
tion from  its  head." 

Alfred  replied  that  he  was  well  aware  of  that,  and 
that  he  knew  his  father,  and  could  answer  for  him. 
*'  No  doubt,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd,  *'  but,  as  a  matter  of  rea- 
sonable form,  I  prefer  he  should  answer  for  himself," 
Alfred  would  write  by  this  post.  "  It  is  a  mere  form," 
said  he,  "  for  my  father  has  but  one  answer  to  his  chil- 
dren :  *  Please  yourselves.'  He  sometimes  adds,  '  and 
how  much  money  shall  you  want  ?  '  These  are  his  two 
formulae." 

He  then  delivered  a  glowing  eulogy  on  his  father ; 
and  Mrs.  Dodd,  to  whom  the  boy's  character  was  now  a 
grave  and  anxious  study,  saw  with  no  common  satisfac- 
tion his  cheek  flush,  and  his  eyes  moisten,  as  he  dwelt 
on  the  calm,  sober,  unvarying  affection  and  reasonable 
indulgence  he  and  his  sister  had  met  with  all  their  lives 
from  the  best  of  parents.  Returning  to  the  topic  of 
topics,  he  proposed  an  engagement.  "  I  have  a  ring  in 
my  pocket,"  said  this  brisk  wooer,  looking  down.  But 
this  Mrs.  Dodd  thought  premature  and  unnecessary. 
"  You  are  nearly  of  age,"  said  she,  "  and  then  you  will 
be  able  to  marry  if  you  are  in  the  same  mind."  But, 
upon  being  warmly  pressed,  she  half  conceded  even 
this.  "Well,"  said  she,  "on  receiving  your  father's 
consent,  you  can  projwse  an  engagement  to  Julia,  and 
she  shall  use  her  own  judgment ;  but,  until  then,  you 
will  not  even  mention  such  a  thing  to  her.  May  I  count 
on  so  much  forbearance  from  you,  sir  ?  " 

"  Dear  Mrs.  Dodd,"  said  Alfred,  "  of  course  you  may. 
I  should  indeed  be  ungrateful  if  I  could  not  wait  a  post 
for  that.  May  I  write  to  my  father  here  ?  "  added  he 
naively. 

Mrs.  Dodd  smiled,  furnished  him  with  writing  mate- 
rials, and  left  him  with  a  polite  excuse. 


HARD   CASH.  143 

Albion  Villa,  Sept.  29. 

My  dear  Father, — You  are  too  thorough  a  man  of  the 
world,  and  too  well  versed  in  human  nature,  to  be  surprised 
at  hearing  that  I,  so  long  invulnerable,  have  at  last  formed  a 
devoted  attachment  to  one  whose  beauty,  goodness,  and  accom- 
plishments I  will  not  now  enlarge  upon;  they  are  indescriba- 
ble, and  you  will  very  soon  see  them  and  judge  for  yourself. 
The  attachment,  though  short  in  weeks  and  months,  has  been  a 
very  long  one  in  hopes,  and  fears,  and  devotion.  I  should  have 
told  you  of  it  before  you  left,  but,  in  truth,  I  had  no  idea  I 
was  so  near  the  goal  of  all  my  earthly  hopes ;  there  were  many 
difficulties ;  but  these  have  just  cleared  away  almost  miracu- 
lously, and  nothing  now  is  wanting  to  my  happiness  but  your 
consent.  It  would  be  aflfectatiou,  or  worse,  in  me  to  doubt 
that  you  will  grant  it.  But,  in  a  matter  so  delicate,  I  venture 
to  ask  you  for  something  more :  the  mother  of  my  ever  and 
only  beloved  Julia  is  a  lady  of  high  breeding  and  sentiments  ; 
she  will  not  let  her  daughter  enter  any  family  without  a  cordial 
invitation  from  its  head.  Indeed,  she  has  just  told  me  so.  I 
ask,  therefore,  not  your  bare  consent,  of  which  I  am  sure, 
since  my  happiness  for  life  depends  on  it,  but  a  consent  so 
gracefully  worded  —  and  who  can  do  this  better  than  you?  — 
as  to  gratify  the  just  pride  and  sensibilities  of  the  high-minded 
family,  about  to  confide  its  brightest  ornament  to  my  care. 

My  dear  father,  in  the  nlidst  of  felicity  almost  more  than  any 
mortal,  the  thought  has  come  that  this  letter  is  my  first  step 
towards  leaving  the  paternal  roof  under  which  I  have  been  so 
happy  all  my  life,  thanks  to  you.  I  should  indeed  be  unworthy 
of  all  your  goodness  if  this  thought  caused  me  no  emotion. 

Yet  I  do  but  yield  to  nature's  universal  law.  And,  should  I 
be  master  of  my  own  destiny,  I  will  not  go  far  from  you.  I 
have  been  unjust  to  Barkington ;  or  rather,  I  have  echoed, 
Avithout  thought,  Oxonian  prejudices  and  affectation.  On 
mature  reflection,  I  know  no  better  residence  for  a  married 
man. 

Do  you  remember  about  a  j'ear  ago  you  mentioned  a  ]\Iiss 
Lucy  Fountain  to  us  as  "  the  most  perfect  gentlewoman  you 
had  ever  met"?  Well,  strange  to  say,  it  is  that  very  lady's 
daughter ;  and  I  think  when  you  see  her  you  will  say  the  breed 


144  HARD  CASH. 

has  anything  but  declined,  in  spite  of  Horace  and  his  "  dam- 
nosa  qiiid  non.''''  Her  brother  is  my  dearest  friend,  and  she  is 
Jenny's ;  so  a  more  happy  alliance  for  all  })arties  was  never 
projected. 

Write  to  me  by  return,  dear  father,  and  believe  me, 
Ever  your  dutiful  and  grateful  son, 

Alfued  Hardie. 

As  he  concluded,  Julia  came  in,  and  he  insisted  on  her 
reading  this  masterpiece.  She  hesitated.  Then  he  told 
her  with  juvenile  severity  that  a  good  husband  always 
shares  his  letters  with  his  wife. 

"  His  wife  ?  Alfred ! "  and  she  colored  all  over. 
"  Don't  call  me  names,''^  said  she,  turning  it  off,  after  her 
fashion.  "  I  can't  bear  it ;  it  makes  me  tremble.  With 
fury." 

"This  will  never  do,  sweet  one,"  said  Alfred  gravely. 
*'  You  and  I  are  to  have  no  separate  existence,  now ;  you 
are  to  be  I,  and  I  am  to  be  you.     Come  !  " 

"  No ;  you  read  me  so  much  of  it  as  is  proper  for  me 
to  hear.  I  shall  not  like  it  so  well  from  your  lips ;  but 
never  mind." 

When  he  came  to  read  it,  he  appreciated  the  delicacy 
that  had  tempered  her  curiosity.  He  did  not  read  it  all 
to  her,  but  nearly. 

"  It  is  a  beautiful  letter,"  said  she  ;  "  a  little  pom- 
pouser  than  mamma  and  1  write.  '  The  paternal  roof ! ' 
But  all  that  becomes  you ;  you  are  a  scholar ;  and,  dear 
Alfred,  if  I  should  separate  you  from  your  papa,  I  will 
never  estrange  you  from  him  ;  oh,  never,  never!  May  I 
go  for  my  work?  for,  methinks,  0  most  erudite,  the 
'  maternal  dame,'  on  domestic  cares  intent,  hath  confided 
to  her  offspring  the  recreation  of  your  highness."  The 
gay  creature  dropped  him  a  courtesy,  and  fled  to  tell 
Mrs.  Dodd  the  substance  of  "the  sweet  letter  the  dear 
high-tlowu  thing  had  written." 


HARD   CASH.  145 

By  tlien  he  had  folded  and  addressed  it,  she  returned 
and  brought  her  work  ;  charity  children's  great  cloaks ; 
her  mother  had  cut  them,  and  in  the  height  of  the  fash- 
ion, to  Jane  Hardie's  dismay  ;  and  Julia  was  binding, 
hooding,  etcaetering  them. 

How  demurely  she  bent  her  lovely  head  over  her 
charitable  work,  while  Alfred  poured  his  tale  into  her 
ears  !  How  careful  she  was  not  to  speak,  when  there 
was  a  chance  of  his  speaking  !  How  often  she  said  one 
thing  so  as  to  express  its  opposite,  a  process  for  which 
she  might  have  taken  out  a  patent !  How  she  and  Alfred 
compared  heart-notes,  and  their  feelings  at  each  stage  of 
their  passion  !  Their  hearts  put  forth  tendril  after  ten- 
dril, and  so  curled  and  clung  round  each  other. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  second  blissful  day,  Julia  sud- 
denly remembered  that  this  was  dull  for  her  mother. 
To  have  such  a  thought  was  to  fly  to  her ;  and  she  flew 
so  swiftly  that  she  caught  Mrs.  Dodd  in  tears,  and  trying 
adroitly  and  vainly  to  hide  them. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  I  am  a  wretch.  I  have  left 
you  alone." 

"Do  not  think  me  so  peevish,  love  !  you  have  but  sur- 
prised the  natural  regrets  of  a  mother  at  the  loss  of  her 
child." 

"  0  mamma,"  said  Julia  warmly,  ''  and  do  you  think 
all  the  marriage  in  the  world  can  ever  divide  you  and  me 
—  can  make  me  lukewarm  to  my  own  sweet,  darling, 
beautiful,  blessed,  angel  mother  ?  Look  at  me  ;  I  am  as 
much  your  Julia  as  ever;  and  shall  be  while  1  live. 
Your  son  is  your  son  till  he  gets  him  a  wife;  but  your 
daughter's  your  daughter,  all  —  the  —  days  —  of  her 

LIFE." 

Divine  power  of  native  eloquence;  with  this  trite  dis- 
tich you  made  hexameters  tame ;   it  gushed  from  that 
great  young  heart  with  a  sweet  infantine  ardor,  that 
10 


146  HARD  CASH. 

even  virtue  can  only  pour  Avhen  young,  and  youth  when 
virtuous  ;  and,  at  the  words  I  have  emphasized  by  the 
poor  device  of  capitals,  two  lovely,  supple  arms  flew  wide 
out  like  a  soaring  albatross's  wings,  and  then  went  all 
round  the  sad  mother,  and  gathered  every  bit  of  her  up 
to  the  generous  young  bosom. 

"I  know  it,  I  know  it !  "  cried  Mrs.  Dodd,  kissing  her  ; 
"I  shall  never  lose  my  daughter  while  she  breathes. 
But  I  am  losing  my  child.  You  are  turning  to  a  woman 
visibly  ;  and  you  were  such  a  happy  child.  Hence  my 
misgivings,  and  these  weak  tears,  which  you  have  dried 
with  a  word,  see!"  and  she  contrived  to  smile.  "And 
now  go  down,  dearest;  he  may  be  impatient;  men's  love 
is  so  fiery." 

The  next  day  Mrs.  Dodd  took  Julia  apart  and  asked  her 
whether  there  was  an  answer  from  ISIr.  Hardie.  Julia 
replied,  from  Alfred,  that  Jane  had  received  a  letter  last 
night,  and,  to  judge  by  the  contents,  Mr.  Hardie  must 
have  left  London  before  Alfred's  letter  got  there.  "  He 
is  gone  to  see  poor  Uncle  Thomas." 

"  Why  do  you  call  him  '  poor  '  ?  " 

"  Oh,  he  is  not  very  clever;  has  not  much  mind,  Alfred 
says ;  indeed,  hardly  any." 

"  You  alarm  me,  Julia  !  "  cried  Mrs.  Dodd  :  "  what  ? 
madness  in  the  family  you  propose  to  marry  into  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,  mamma,"  said  Julia,  in  a  great  hurry ;  "  no 
madness;  only  a  little  imbecility." 

Mrs.  Dodd's  lip  curved  at  this  Julian  answer;  but  just 
then  her  mind  was  more  drawn  to  another  topic.  A 
serious  doubt  passed  through  her,  whether,  if  Mr.  Hardie 
did  not  write  soon,  she  ought  not  to  limit  his  son's  attend- 
ance on  her  daughter.  "  He  follows  her  about  like  a 
little  dog,"  said  she  half-fretfully. 

Next  day,  by  previous  invitation.  Dr.  Sampson  made 
Albion  Villa  his  headouarters.     Darting  in  from  London 


HARD   CASH.  147 

lie  found  Alfred  sitting  very  close  to  Julia  over  a  book. 
'•  Lordsake  !  "  cried  he,  "here's  'my  puppy,'  and  '  m' 
enthusiast/  cheek  by  chovvl."  Julia  turned  scarlet,  and 
Alfred  ejaculated  so  loudly,  that  Sampson  inquired  what 
on  airth  was  the  matter  now  ? 

"  Oh,  nothing ;  only  here  have  I  been  jealous  of  my 
own  shadow,  and  pestering  her  who  'your  puppy  '  was  ; 
and  she  never  would  tell  me.  All  1  could  get  from  her," 
added  he,  turning  suddenly  from  gratitude  to  revenge, 
"  was  —  that  he  was  no  greater  a  puppy  than  yourself, 
doctor." 

"0  Alfred,  no;  I  only  said  no  vainer,"  cried  Julia  in 
dismay. 

"  Well,  it  is  true,"  said  Sampson,  contentedly,  and 
proceeded  to  dissect  himself  just  as  he  would  a  stranger. 
"  1  am  a  vain  man ;  a  remarkably  vain  man.  But  then, 
I'm  a  man  of  great  mirit." 

"All  vain  people  are  that,"  suggested  Alfred  dryly. 

"  Who  should  know  better  than  you,  young  Oxford  ? 
Y'  have  got  a  hidache." 

"  No,  indeed." 

"  Don't  tell  lies  now.  Ye  can't  deceive  me  ;  man,  I've 
an  eye  like  a  hawk.  And  what's  that  ye're  studying 
with  her  ?     Ovid,  for  a  pound." 

"  No,  medicine  ;  a  treatise  on  your  favorite  organ,  the 
brain  ;  by  one  Dr.  Whately." 

"  He  is  chaffing  you,  doctor,"  said  Edward  ;  "  it  is 
logic.     He  is  coaching  her,  and  then  she  will  coach  me." 

"  Then  1  forbid  the  chaff-cutting,  young  Pidant.  Logic 
is  an  ill  plaster  to  a  sore  head." 

"  Oh,  '  the  labor  we  delight  in,  physics  pain.'  " 

"Jinnyiis,  Jinnyus ; 
Take  care  o'  your  carkuss," 

retorted  the  master  of  doggerel.     "And   that  is  a  pro- 


148  HARD   CASH. 

founder  remark  than  you  seem  to  think,  by  your  grin- 
ning, all  of  ye." 

Julia  settled  the  question  by  putting  away  the  book. 
And  she  murmured  to  Alfred,  "  1  wisli  I  could  steal  your 
poor  dear  headaches  ;  you  might  give  me  half  of  them  at 
least ;  you  would,  too,  if  you  really  loved  me." 

This  sound  remonstrance  escaped  criticism  by  being 
nearly  inaudible,  and  by  Mrs.  Dodd  entering  at  the  same 
moment. 

After  the  first  greeting,  Sampson  asked  her  with  merry 
arrogance,  how  his  prescription  had  worked.  "Is  her 
sleep  broken  still,  ma'am  ?  Are  her  spirits  up  and  down  ? 
Shall  we  have  to  go  back  t'  old  Short  and  his  black 
draught  ?  How's  her  mookis  membrin  ?  An'  her 
biliary  ducks  ?  an' —     She's  off  like  a  flash." 

"  And  no  wonder,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd,  reproachfully. 

Thus  splashed  Sampson  among  the  ducks ;  one  of 
them  did  not  show  her  face  again  till  dinner. 

Jane  Hardie  accompanied  her  brother  by  invitation. 
The  general  amity  was  diversified,  and  the  mirth  nowise 
lessened,  by  constant  passages  of  arms  between  Messrs. 
Sampson  and  Alfred  Hardie. 

After  tea  came  the  first  contretemps.  Sampson  liked 
a  game  of  cards  ;  he  could  play,  yet  talk  chronothermal- 
isra,  as  the  fair  can  knit  babies'  shoes,  and  imbibe  the 
poetasters  of  the  day. 

Mrs.  Dodd  had  asked  Edward  to  bring  a  fresh  pack. 
He  was  seen  by  his  guardian  angel  to  take  them  out 
of  his  pocket  and  undo  them  ;  presently  Sampson,  in  his 
rapid  way,  clutched  hold  of  them ;  and  found  a  slip  of 
paper  curled  round  the  ace  of  spades,  with  this  written 
very  clear  in  pencil :  "  Remembek  thy  Creator  in  the 

DAYS    OF    THY    YOUTH  !  " 

"  What  is  this  '.'  "  cried  Sampson,  and  read  it  out  aloud. 
Jane  Hardie   colored,  and  so   betrayed  herself.      Her 


HARD   CASH.  149 

"  word  in  season  "  had  strayed.  It  was  the  young  and 
comely  Edward  she  wished  to  save  from  the  diabolical 
literature,  the  painted  perdition ;  and  not  the  uninterest- 
ing old  sinner  Sampson,  who  proceeded  to  justify  her 
preference  by  remarking  that  "  Remember  not  to  trump 
your  partner's  best  card,  ladies,"  would  be  more  to  the 
point. 

Everybody,  except  this  hardened  personage,  was  thor- 
oughly uncomfortable.  As  for  Alfred,  his  face  betrayed 
a  degree  of  youthful  mortification,  little  short  of  agony. 
Mrs.  Dodd  was  profoundly  disgusted,  but  fortunately  for 
the  Hardies,  caught  sight  of  his  burning  cheeks  and  com- 
pressed lips.  "Dr.  Sampson,"  said  she,  with  cold  dig- 
nity, "you  will,  I  am  sure,  oblige  me  by  making  no  more 
comments ;  sincerity  is  not  always  discreet,  but  it  is 
always  respectable  ;  it  is  one  of  your  own  titles  to  esteem. 
I  dare  say,"  added  she  with  great  sweetness,  "  our  re- 
sources are  not  so  narrow  that  we  need  shock  anybody's 
prejudices,  and,  as  it  happens,  I  was  just  going  to  ask 
Julia  to  sing ;  open  the  piano,  love,  and  try  if  you  can 
persuade  Miss  Hardie  to  join  you  in  a  duet." 

At  this,  Jane  and  Julia  had  an  earnest  conversation  at 
the  piano,  and  their  words,  uttered  in  a  low  voice,  were 
covered  by  a  contemporaneous  discussion  between  Samp- 
son and  Mrs.  Dodd. 

Jane.     No,  you  must  not  ask  Sampson.    Hum!   for  all  that, 

me:  I  have  forsworn  these  vani-  young  ladies'   singing  is  a  poor 

ties.    I  have  not  opened  my  piano  substitute  for  cards,  and  even  for 

this  two  years.  conversation. 

Julia.    Oh,  what  a  pity!  music  Mrs.  Dodd.    That  depends  upon 

is  so  beautiful ;  and  surely  we  can  the  singer,  I  presume, 

choose  our  songs,  as  easily  as  our  Sampson.  Mai — dear  — madam, 

words;  ah,  how  much  more  easily,  they  all  sing  alike;  just  as  they 

Jane.     Oh,  I  don't  go  so  far  as  all  write  alike.     I  can  hardly  tell 

to  call  music  wicked:  but  music  one    fashionable    tune  from    an- 

In  society  is  such  a  snare.    At  other:  and  nobody  can   tell  one 

least  I  found  it  so;  my  playing  word  from   another,  when    they 

was    highly    praised;     and    that  cut  out  all   the  consonants.    N' 


150 


HARD   CASH. 


stirred  up  vanity:  and  so  did  my 
singing,  with  which  I  had  even 
more  reason  to  be  satisfied. 
Snares!  snares! 

Jidia.  Goodness  me!  I  don't 
find  them  so.  Now  you  mention 
it,  gentlemen  do  praise  one;  but, 
dear  me,  tliey  praise  every  lady, 
even  when  we  have  been  singing 
every  other  note  out  of  tune.  The 
little  unmeaning  compliments  of 
society,  can  they  catch  anything 
so  great  as  a  soul  ? 

Jane.  I  pray  daily  not  to  be 
led  into  temptation,  and  shall  I 
go  into  it  of  my  own  accord  ? 

Julia.  Not  if  you  find  it  a 
temptation.  At  that  rate  I  ought 
to  decline. 

Jane.  That  doesn't  follow.  My 
conscience  is  not  a  law  to  yours. 
Besides,your  mamma  said  "Sing;" 
and  a  parent  is  not  to  be  disobeyed 
upon  a  doubt.  If  papa  were  to 
insist  on  my  going  to  a  ball  even, 
or  reading  a  novel,  I  think  I 
should  obey;  and  lay  the  whole 
case  before  Him. 

Mrs.  Dodd  (from  a  distance). 
Come,  my  dears.  Dr.  Sampson  is 
getting  so  impatient  for  your 
song. 


listen  me.    This  is  what  I  heard 
sung  by  a  lady  last  night :  — 

Ee  un  Da'  ei  u  aa  an  oo 

By  oo  eeeeyee  aa 

Vaullee,  vaullee,  vauUee,  vaullee, 

Vaullee  om  is  igh  eeaa 

An  ellin  in  is  ud. 

Mrs.  Dodd.  That  sounds  like 
gibberish. 

Sampson.  It  is  gibberish,  but 
it's  Drydenish  in  articulating 
mouths.    It  is,  — 

He  sung  Darius  great  and  good, 
By  too  severe  a  fate 
Fallen,  fallen,  fallen,  fallen, 
Fallen  from  his  high  estate, 
And  weltering  in  his  blood. 

Mrs.  Dodd.  I  think  you  exag- 
gerate. I  will  answer  for  Julia 
that  she  shall  speak  as  distinctly 
to  music  as  you  do  in  conversation. 

Sa7npson  (all  unconscious  of  the 
tap).  Time  will  show,  madam. 
At  prisent  they  seem  to  be  in  no 
hurry  to  spatter  us  with  their 
word-jelly.  Does  some  spark  of 
pity  linger  in  their  marble  bos'ms  ? 
or  do  they  prefer  inaud'ble  chit- 
chat t'  inarticulate  mewin? 


Julia,  thus  pressed,  sang  one  of  those  songs  that  come 
and  go  every  season.  She  spoke  the  words  clearly,  and 
with  such  variety  and  intelligence,  that  Sampson  recanted, 
and  broke  in  upon  the  "Very  pretty,"  "  How  sweet,"  and 
"  Who  is  it  by  ?  "  of  the  others,  by  shouting,  "  Very  weak 
trash,  very  cleanly  sung.  Now  give  us  something  worth 
the  wear  and  tear  of  your  orgins.  Immortal  vairse  widded 
t'  immortal  sounds  ;  that  is  what  I  understand  b'  a  song." 

Alfred  whispered,  "No,  no,  dearest;  sing  something 
suitable  to  you  and  me." 


HARD   CASH.  151 

"Out  of  the  question.  Then  go  further  away,  dear; 
I  shall  have  more  courage."' 

He  obeyed,  and  she  turned  over  two  or  three  music- 
books  ;  and  finally  sang  from  memory.  She  cultivated 
musical  memory,  having  observed  the  contempt  with 
which  men  of  sense  visit  the  sorry  pretenders  to  music, 
who  are  tuneless  and  songless  among  the  nightingales, 
and  anywhere  else  away  from  their  books.  How  will 
they  manage  to  sing  in  heaven  ?     Answer  me  that. 

The  song  Julia  Dodd  sang  on  this  happy  occasion,  to 
meet  the  humble  but  heterogeneous  views  of  Messrs. 
Sampson  and  Hardie,  was  a  simple,  eloquent  Irish  song, 
called  "  Aileen  Aroon,"  whose  history,  by-the-by,  was  a 
curious  one.  Early  in  this  century  it  occurred  to  some- 
body to  hymn  a  son  of  George  the  Third  for  his  double 
merit  in  having  been  born,  and  going  to  a  ball.  People 
who  thus  apply  the  fine  arts  in  modern  days  are  seldom 
artists ;  accordingly,  this  parasite  could  not  invent  a 
melody  ;  so  he  coolly  stole  "  Aileen  Aroon,"  soiled  it  by 
inserting  sordid  and  incongruous  jerks  into  the  refrain, 
and  calling  the  stolen  and  adulterated  article  "Robin 
Adair."  An  artisan  of  the  same  kidney  was  soon  found 
to  write  words  down  to  the  degraded  ditty :  and  so 
strong  is  flunkeyism,  and  so  weak  is  criticism,  in  these 
islands,  that  the  polluted  tune  actually  superseded  the 
clean  melody ;  and  this  sort  of  thing,  — 

Who  was  in  uniform  at  the  ball  ? 

Silly  Billy, - 

smothered  the  immortal  lines. 

But  Mrs.  Dodd's  severe  taste  in  music  rejected  those 
ignoble  jerks,  and  her  enthusiastic  daughter,  having  the 
option  to  hymn  immortal  Constancy  or  mortal  Fat, 
decided  thus  ;  — 


152  HARD   CASH. 

When  like  the  early  rose, 

Aileen  aroon, 
Beauty  in  childhood  glows, 

Aileen  aroon, 
When  like  a  diadem, 
Buds  blush  round  the  stem, 
Which  is  the  fairest  gem  ? 

Aileen  aroon. 

Is  it  the  laughing  eye  ? 

Aileen  aroon. 
Is  it  the  timid  sigh  ? 

Aileen  aroon. 
Is  it  the  tender  tone. 
Soft  as  the  stringed  harp's  moan? 
No ;  it  is  truth  alone, 

Aileen  aroon. 

I  know  a  valley  fair, 

Aileen  aroon, 
I  know  a  cottage  there, 

Aileen  aroon. 
Far  in  that  valley's  shade, 
1  know  a  gentle  maid. 
Flower  of  the  hazel  glade, 

Aileen  aroon. 

Who  in  the  song  so  sweet  ? 

Aileen  aroon. 
Who  in  the  dance  so  fleet  ? 

Aileen  aroon. 
Dear  are  her  charms  to  me. 
Dearer  her  laughter  free, 
Dearer  her  constancy, 

Aileen  aroon. 

JTouth  must  with  time  decay, 

Aileen  aroon. 

Beauty  must  fade  away, 

A.ileen  aroon. 


HARD   CASH.  153 

Castles  arc  sacked  in  war, 
Chieftains  are  scattered  far. 
Truth  is  a  fixed  star, 

Aileen  aroon. 

The  way  the  earnest  singer  sang  these  lines  is  beyond 
the  conception  of  ordinary  singers,  public  or  private. 
Here  one  of  nature's  orators  spoke  poetry  to  music  witli 
an  eloquence  as  fervid  and  delicate  as  ever  rung  in  the 
Forum.  She  gave  each  verse  with  the  same  just  variety 
as  if  she  had  been  reciting,  and,  when  she  came  to  the 
last,  where  the  thought  rises  abruptly,  and  is  truly  noble, 
she  sang  it  with  the  sudden  pathos,  the  weight,  and  the 
swelling  majesty,  of  a  truthful  soul  hymning  truth  with 
all  its  powers. 

All  the  hearers,  even  Sampson,  were  thrilled,  aston- 
ished, spell-bound :  so  can  one  wave  of  immortal  music 
and  immortal  verse  (alas  !  how  seldom  they  meet !)  heave 
the  inner  man  when  genius  interprets.  Judge,  then, 
what  it  was  to  Alfred,  to  whom,  with  these  great  words 
and  thrilling  tones  of  her  rich,  swelling,  ringing  voice, 
the  darling  of  his  own  heart  vowed  constancy,  while  her 
inspired  face  beamed  on  him  like  an  angel's. 

Even  Mrs.  Dodd,  though  acquainted  with  the  song, 
and  with  her  daughter's  rare  powers,  gazed  at  her  now 
with  some  surprise,  as  well  as  admiration,  and  kept  a 
note  Sarah  had  brought  her,  open,  but  unread,  in  her 
hand,  unable  to  take  her  eyes  from  the  inspired  song- 
stress. However,  just  before  the  song  ended,  she  did 
just  glance  down,  and  saw  it  was  signed  Richard  Hardie. 
On  this  her  eye  devoured  it;  and  in  one  moment  she 
saw  that  the  writer  declined,  politely  but  peremptorily, 
the  proposed  alliance  between  his  son  and  her  daugh- 
ter. 

The  mother  looked  up  from  this  paper  at  that  living 
radiance  and  incarnate  melody  in  a  sort  of  stupor:    it 


154  HARD   CASH. 

seemed  hardly  possible  to  her  that  a  provincial  banker 
could  refuse  an  alliance  with  a  creature  so  peerless  as 
that.  But  so  it  was ;  and  despite  her  habitual  self- 
government,  Mrs.  Dodd's  white  hand  clenched  the  note 
till  her  nails  dented  it ;  and  she  reddened  to  the  brow 
with  anger  and  mortification. 

Julia,  whom  she  had  trained  never  to  monopolize  atten- 
tion in  society,  now  left  the  piano  in  spite  of  remon- 
strance, and  soon  noticed  her  mother's  face:  for  from 
red  it  had  become  paler  than  usual.  "  Are  you  unwell, 
dear  ?  "  said  she,  sotto  voce. 

"  No,  love." 

"Is  there  anything  the  matter,  then  ?" 

"  Hush  !  We  have  guests  :  our  first  duty  is  to  them." 
With  this  Mrs.  Dodd  rose,  and,  endeavoring  not  to  look 
at  her  daughter  at  all,  went  round  and  drew  each  of  her 
guests  out  in  turn.  It  was  the  very  heroism  of  courtesy; 
for  their  presence  was  torture  to  her.  At  last,  to  her 
infinite  relief,  they  went,  and  she  was  left  alone  with 
her  children.  She  sent  the  servants  to  bed,  saying  she 
would  undress  Miss  Dodd :  and  accompanied  her  to  her 
room.  There  the  first  thing  she  did  was  to  lock  the 
door ;  and  the  next  was  to  turn  round  and  look  at  her 
full. 

"I  always  thought  you  the  most  lovable  child  I  ever 
saw ;  but  I  never  admired  you  as  I  have  to-night ;  my 
noble,  my  beautiful  daughter,  who  would  grace  the  high- 
est family  in  England."  With  this,  Mrs.  Dodd  began  to 
choke,  and  kissed  Julia  eagerly  with  the  tears  in  her 
eyes,  and  drew  her  with  tender,  eloquent  defiance  to  her 
bosom. 

"  My  own  mamma,"  said  Julia,  softly,  "  what  has  hap- 
pened ?  " 

"My  darling,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd,  trembling  a  little, 
"  have  you  pride  ?   have  you  spirit  ?  " 


HARD   CASH.  ib5 

«  T  think  I  have." 

"I  hope  so:  for  you  will  need  them  both.  Read 
that ! "  And  she  held  out  Mv.  Hardie's  letter,  but 
turned  her  own  head  away,  not  to  see  her  girl's  face 
under  the  insult. 


IHQ  HARD   CASH. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Julia  took  Mr.  Hardie's  note  and  read  it:  — 

Madam,  —  I  have  received  a  very  juvenile  letter  from  my 
son,  by  which  I  learn  he  has  formed  a  sudden  attachment  to 
your  daughter.  He  tells  me,  however,  at  the  same  time,  that 
you  await  my  concurrence  before  giving  your  consent.  I  ap- 
preciate your  delicacj' ;  and  it  is  with  considerable  regret  I  now 
write  to  inform  you  this  match  is  out  of  the  question.  I  have 
thought  it  due  to  you  to  communicate  this  to  yourself  and  with- 
out delay,  and  feel  sm"e  that  you  will,  under  the  circumstances, 
discountenance  my  son's  further  visits  at  your  house. 
1  am,  madam, 

With  sincere  respect. 

Your  faithful  servant, 

RiCHAKD   HaKDIE. 

Julia  read  this  letter,  and  re-read  it  in  silence.  It 
was  an  anxious  moment  to  the  mother. 

"  Shall  our  pride  be  less  than  this  parvenu's  ? "  she 
faltered.     "Tell  me  yourself,  what  ought  we  to  do  ?" 

'•'  What  we  ought  to  do  is,  never  to  let  the  name  of 
Hardie  be  mentioned  again  in  this  house." 

This  reply  was  very  comforting  to  Mrs.  Dodd. 

"  Shall  I  write  to  him,  or  do  you  feel  strong  enough  ?  " 

"I  feel  that,  if  I  do,  I  may  aifront  him.  He  had  no 
right  to  pretend  that  his  father  would  consent.  You 
write,  and  then  we  shall  not  lose  our  dignity,  though  we 
are  insulted. 

"  I  feel  so  weary,  mamma.     Life  seems  ended. 

"I  could  have  loved  him  well.     And  now  show  me 


HARD  CASH.  157 

how  to  tear  him  out  of  my  heart :  or  what  will  become 
of  me  ?  " 

AVhile  Mrs.  Dodd  wrote  to  Alfred  Hardie,  Julia  sank 
down  and  laid  her  head  on  her  mother's  knees.  The 
note  was  shown  her ;  she  approved  it  languidly.  A  long 
and  sad  conversation  followed ;  and  after  kissing  her 
mother  and  clinging  to  her,  she  Avent  to  bed  chilly  and 
listless,  but  did  not  shed  a  single  tear.  Her  young  heart 
was  benumbed  by  the  unexpected  blow. 

Next  morning  early  Alfred  Hardie  started  gayly  to 
spend  the  day  at  Albion  Villa.  Not  a  hundred  yards 
from  the  gate  he  met  Sarah,  with  Mrs.  Dodd's  letter,  en- 
closing a  copy  of  his  father's  to  her.  Mrs.  Dodd  here 
reminded  him  that  his  visits  had  been  encouraged  only 
upon  a  misapprehension  of  his  father's  sentiments ;  for 
which  misapprehension  he  was  in  some  degree  to  blame  : 
not  that  she  meant  to  reproach  him  on  that  score,  espe- 
cially at  this  unhappy  moment :  no,  she  rather  blamed 
herself  for  listening  to  the  sanguine  voice  of  youth  ;  but 
the  error  must  now  be  repaired.  She  and  Julia  would 
always  wish  him  well,  and  esteem  him,  provided  he 
made  no  further  attempt  to  compromise  a  young  lady 
who  could  not  be  his  wife.     The  note  concluded  thus :  — 

Individually  I  tliink  I  have  some  right  to  count  on  your 
honorable  feeling  to  hold  no  communication  with  my  daughter, 
and  not  in  any  way  to  attract  her  attention,  under  the  present 
circumstances. 

I  am, 

Dear  Mr.  Alfred  Hardie, 
With  many  regrets  at  the  pain  I  fear 
I  am  giving  you, 
Your  sincere  friend  and  well-wisher, 

Lucy  Dodd. 

Alfred  on  reading  this  letter  literally  staggered :  but 
proud  and  sensitive,  as  well  as  loving,  he  manned  him* 


158  HARD   CASH. 

self  to  hide  his  wound  from  Sarah,  whose  black  eyes 
were  bent  on  him  in  merciless  scrutiny.  He  said  dog- 
gedly, though  tremulously,  "  Very  well ! "  then  turned 
quickly  on  his  heel,  and  went  slowly  home.  Mrs.  Dodd, 
with  well-feigned  indifference,  questioned  Sarah  pri- 
vately :  the  girl's  account  of  the  abrupt  way  in  which 
he  had  received  the  missive  added  to  her  anxiety.  She 
warned  the  servants  that  no  one  was  at  home  to  Mr. 
Alfred  Hardie. 

Two  days  elapsed,  and  then  she  received  a  letter  from 
him.  Poor  fellow,  it  was  the  eleventh.  He  had  written 
and  torn  up  ten. 

Dear  Mrs.  Dodb,  —  I  have  gained  some  victories  in  my 
life ;  but  not  one  without  two  defeats  to  begin  with  ;  how  then 
can  I  expect  to  obtain  such  a  prize  as  dear  Julia  without  a 
check  or  two  ?  You  need  not  fear  that  I  shall  intrude  after 
your  appeal  to  me  as  a  gentleman ;  but  I  am  not  going  to  give 
in  because  my  father  has  written  a  hasty  letter  from  Yorkshire. 
He  and  I  must  have  many  a  talk  face  to  face  before  I  consent 
to  be  miserable  for  life.  Dear  Mrs.  Dodd,  at  first  receipt  of 
your  cruel  letter,  so  kindly  worded,  I  was  broken-hearted  ;  but 
now  I  am  myself  again :  difficulties  are  made  for  ladies  to 
yield  to,  and  for  men  to  conquer.  Only  for  pity's  sake  do  not 
you  be  my  enemy :  do  not  set  her  against  me  for  my  father's 
fault.  Think,  if  you  can,  how  my  heart  bleeds  at  closing  this 
letter  without  one  word  to  her  I  love,  better,  a  thousand  times 
better,  than  my  life. 

I  am, 

Dear  Mrs.  Dodd, 

Yours  sorrowfully, 

but  not  despairing, 
Alfred  Hardie. 

Mrs.  Dodd  kept  this  letter  to  herself.  She  could  not 
read  it  quite  unmoved,  and  therefore  she  felt  sure  it 
would  disturb  her  daughter's  heart  the  more. 

Alfred  had  now  a  soft  but  dangerous  antagonist  in 


HARD   CASH.  l69 

Mrs.  Dodd.  All  the  mother  was  in  arms  to  secure  her 
daughter's  happiness,  coute  que  coute!  and  the  surest 
course  seemed  to  be  to  detach  her  affections  from 
Alfred.  What  hope  of  a  peaceful  heart  without  this  ? 
and  what  real  happiness  without  peace  ?  But,  too  wise 
and  calm  to  interfere  blindly,  she  watched  her  daughter 
day  and  night,  to  find  whether  love  or  pride  was  the 
stronger :  and  this  is  what  she  observed  :  — 

Julia  never  mentioned  Alfred.  She  sought  occupation 
eagerly  :  came  oftener  than  usual  for  money,  saying  it 
was  for  "  luxury."  She  visited  the  poor  more  constantly, 
taking  one  of  the  maids  with  her,  at  Mrs.  Dodd's  request. 
She  studied  logic  with  Edward.  She  went  to  bed  rather 
early,  fatigued,  it  would  appear,  by  her  activity :  and 
she  gave  the  clew  to  her  own  conduct  one  day : 
"  Mamma,"  said  she,  "  nobody  is  downright  unhappy 
who  is  good." 

Mrs.  Dodd  noticed  also  a  certain  Avildness  and  almost 
violence,  with  which  she  threw  herself  into  her  occupa- 
tions :  and  a  worn  look  about  the  eyes  that  told  of  a 
hidden  conflict.  On  the  whole  Mrs.  Dodd  was  hopeful ; 
for  she  had  never  imagined  the  cure  would  be  speedy  or 
easy.  To  see  her  child  on  the  right  road  was  much. 
Only  the  great  healer  Time  could  "  medicine  her  to  that 
sweet  peace  which  once  she  owned  ; "  and  even  time 
cannot  give  her  back  her  childhood,  thought  the  mother, 
with  a  sigh. 

One  day  came  an  invitation  to  an  evening  party  at  a 
house  where  they  always  wound  up  with  dancing.  Mrs. 
Dodd  was  for  declining  as  usual ;  for  since  that  night 
Julia  had  shunned  parties.  "  Give  me  the  sorrows  of 
the  poor  and  afflicted,"  was  her  cry  ;  'Hhe  gayety  of  the 
hollow  world  jars  me  more  than  I  can  bear."  But  now 
she  caught  with  a  sort  of  eagerness  at  this  invitation. 
"  Accept.     They  shall  not  say  I  am  wearing  the  willow." 


160  HARD   CASH. 

"My  brave  girl!"  said  Mrs.  Dodd,  joyfully,  "I would 
not  press  it ;  but  you  are  right ;  we  owe  it  to  ourselves 
to  outface  scandal.  Still,  let  there  be  no  precipitation  ; 
we  must  not  undertake  beyond  our  strength." 

"  Try  me  to-night,"  said  Julia ;  "  you  don't  know  what 
I  can  do.     1  dare  say  he  is  not  pining  for  me." 

She  was  the  life  and  soul  of  the  party,  and,  indeed,  so 
feverishly  brilliant,  that  Mrs.  Dodd  said  softly  to  her, 
"  Gently,  love ;  moderate  your  spirits,  or  they  will 
deceive  our  friends  as  little  as  they  do  me." 

Meantime,  it  cost  Alfred  Hardie  a  severe  struggle  to 
keep  altogether  aloof  from  Julia.  In  fact,  it  was  a  state 
of  daily  self-denial,  to  which  he  would  never  have  com- 
mitted himself,  but  that  he  was  quite  sure  he  could 
gradually  win  his  father  over.  At  his  age  we  are  apt 
to  count  without  our  antagonist. 

Mr.  Richard  Hardie  was  "a  long-headed  man."  He 
knew  the  consequence  of  giving  one's  reasons ;  eternal 
discussion  ending  in  war.  He  had  taken  care  not  to 
give  any  to  Mrs.  Dodd,  and  he  was  as  guarded  and  re- 
served with  Alfred.  The  young  man  begged  to  know 
the  why  and  the  wherefore,  and,  being  repulsed,  em- 
ployed all  his  art  to  elicit  them  by  surprise,  or  get  at 
them  by  inference :  but  all  in  vain ;  Hardie  senior  was 
impenetrable ;  and  inquiry,  petulance,  tenderness,  logic, 
were  all  shattered  on  him  as  the  waves  break  on  Ailsa 
Craig. 

Thus  began  dissension,  decently  conducted  at  first, 
between  a  father,  indulgent  hitherto,  and  an  affectionate 
son. 

In  this  unfortunate  collision  of  two  strong  and  kin- 
dred natures,  every  advantage  was  at  present  on  the 
father's  side ;  age,  experience,  authority,  resolution, 
hidden  and  powerful  motives,  to  which  my  reader  even 
has  no  clew  as  yet ;  a  purpose  immutable  and  concealed. 


HARD  CASH.  161 

Add  to  these  a  colder  nature  and  a  far  colder  affection  ; 
for  Alfred  loved  his  father  dearly. 

At  last,  one  day,  the  impetuous  one  lost  his  self-com- 
mand, and  said  he  was  a  son,  not  a  slave,  and  had  little 
respect  for  authority  Avhen  afraid  or  ashamed  to  appeal 
to  reason.  Hardie  senior  turned  on  him  with  a  gravity 
and  dignity  no  man  could  wear  more  naturally.  "  Alfred, 
have  I  been  an  unkind  father  to  you  all  these  years?" 

"Oh,  no,  father,  no;  1  have  said  nothing  that  can  be  so 
construed.  And  that  is  the  mystery  to  me ;  you  are  act- 
ing quite  out  of  character." 

"  Have  I  been  one  of  those  interfering,  pragmatical 
fathers  who  cannot  let  their  children  enjoy  themselves 
their  own  way  ?  " 

"No,  sir;  you  have  never  interfered,  except  to  pay  for 
anything  I  wanted." 

"  Then  make  the  one  return  in  your  power,  young 
man ;  have  a  little  faith  in  such  a  father,  and  believe 
that  he  does  not  interfere  now  but  for  your  good,  and 
under  a  stern  necessity;  and  that  when  he  does  interfere 
for  once,  and  say,  '  this  thing  sha.ll  not  be,'  it  shall  not  be 
—  by  Heaven  !  " 

Alfred  was  overpowered  by  the  weight  and  solemnity 
of  this.  Sorrow,  vexation,  and  despondency  all  ruslied 
into  his  heart  together,  and  unmanned  him  for  a 
moment ;  he  buried  his  face  in  his  hands,  and  some- 
thing very  like  a  sob  burst  from  his  young  heart.  At 
this  Hardie  senior  took  up  the  newspaper  with  imper- 
turbable coldness,  and  wore  a  slight  curl  of  the  lip.  All 
this  was  hardly  genuine,  for  he  was  not  altogether 
unmoved ;  but  he  was  a  man  of  rare  self-command,  and 
chose  to  impress  on  Alfred  that  he  was  no  more  to  be 
broken  or  melted  than  a  mere  rock. 

It  is  always  precarious  to  act  a  part ;  and  this  cyni- 
cism was  rather  able  than  wise;  Alfred  looked  up  and 
11 


162  HARD   CASH. 

watched  him  keenly  as  he  read  the  monetary  article  with 
tranquil  interest;  and  then,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life^ 
it  iiashed  into  the  young  man's  mind  tliat  liis  father  was 
not  a  father.  "  I  never  knew  him  till  now,"  thought  he. 
"  This  man  is  aaroo^o,-."  ^ 

Thus  a  gesture,  so  to  speak,  sowed  the  first  seed  of 
downright  disunion  in  Richard  Hardie's  house — dis- 
union, a  fast-growing  plant,  when  men  set  it  in  the  soil 
of  the  passions. 

Alfred,  unlike  Julia,  had  no  panacea.  Had  any  lips, 
except  perhaps  hers,  told  him  that  "  to  be  good  is  to  be 
happy  here  below,"  he  would  have  replied,  '•''  Negatur ; 
contradicted  by  daily  experience."  It  never  occurred  to 
him,  therefore,  to  go  out  of  himself  and  sympathize  with 
the  sordid  sorrows  of  the  poor,  and  their  bottomless 
egotism  in  contact  with  the  well-to-do.  He  brooded  on 
his  own  love,  and  his  own  unhappiness,  and  his  own 
father's  cruelty.  His  nights  were  sleepless,  and  his  days 
leaden.  He  tried  hard  to  read  for  his  first  class,  but  for 
once  even  ambition  failed ;  it  ended  in  flinging  books 
away  in  despair.  He  wandered  about  dreaming  and 
hoping  for  some  change,  and  bitterly  regretting  his 
excessive  delicacy,  which  had  tied  his  own  hands  and 
brought  him  to  a  standstill.  He  lost  his  color  and  what 
little  flesh  he  had  to  lose  ;  for  such  young  spirits  as  this 
are  never  plump.  In  a  word,  being  now  strait-jacketed 
into  feminine  inactivity,  while  void  of  feminine  patience, 
his  ardent  heart  was  pining  and  fretting  itself  out.  He 
was  in  this  condition,  when  one  day  Peterson,  liis 
Oxonian  friend,  burst  in  on  him  open-mouthed  with 
delight,  and,  as  usual  with  bright  spirits  of  this  calibre, 
did  not  even  notice  his  friend's  sadness.  "  Cupid  had 
clapped  him  on  the  shoulder,"  as  Shakespeare  hath  it ; 
and  it  was  a  deal  nicer  than  the  bum-bailiff  rheumatism. 

>  Without  bowels  of  affectiou. 


HARD   CASH.  163 

"  Oh,  such  a  divine  creature  !  Met  her  twice  ;  you 
know  her  by  sight ;  her  name  is  Docld.  But  I  don't 
care ;  it  shall  be  Peterson  ;  the  rose  by  any  other  name, 
etc."  Then  followed  a  rapturous  description  of  the 
lady's  person,  well  worth  omitting,  "  And  such  a  jolly 
girl !  brightens  them  all  up  wherever  she  goes  ;  and  such 
a  dancer ;  did  the  cachouka  with  a  little  Spanish  bloke 
Bosanquet  has  got  hold  of,  and  made  his  black  bolus  eyes 
twinkle  like  midnight  cigars  ;  danced  it  with  castanets, 
and  smiles,  and  such  a  what  d'ye  call  'em,  my  boy,  you 
know  ;  such  a  '  go.'  " 

"  You  mean  such  an  abandon,''^  groaned  Alfred,  turning 
sick  at  heart, 

"That's  the  word.  Twice  the  spirit  of  Duvernay,  and 
ten  times  the  beauty.  But  just  you  hear  her  sing,  that 
is  all ;  Italian,  French,  German,  English  even," 

"  Plaintive  songs  ?  " 

"  Oh,  whatever  they  ask  for.  Make  you  laugh  or  make 
you  cry  —  to  order;  never  says  no.  Just  smiles  and  sits 
down  to  the  music-box.  Only  she  won't  sing  two  run- 
ning; they  have  to  stick  a  duffer  in  between.  I  shall 
meet  her  again  next  week  :  will  you  come  ?  Any  friend 
of  mine  is  welcome.  Wish  me  joy,  old  fellow;  I'm  a 
gone  coon." 

This  news  put  Alfred  in  a  frenzy  of  indignation  and 
fear.  Julia  dancing  the  cachouka !  Julia  a  jolly  girl ! 
Julia  singing  songs  pathetic  or  merry,  whichever  were 
asked  for !  The  heartless  one  !  He  called  to  mind  all 
he  had  read  in  the  classics,  and  elsewhere,  about  the 
fickleness  of  woman.  But  this  impression  did  not  last 
long ;  he  recalled  Julia's  character,  and  all  the  signs  of  a 
love  tender  and  true  she  had  given  him  ;  he  read  her  by 
himself,  and,  lover-like,  laid  all  the  blame  on  another. 
It  was  all  her  cold-blooded  mother.  "  Fool  that  I  have 
been.     I  see  it  all  now.     She  appeals  to  my  delicacy  to 


164  HARD   CASH. 

keep  away;  then  she  goes  to  Julia  and  says,  'See,  he 
deserts  you  at  a  word  from  his  father.  Be  proud,  be 
gay !  He  never  loved  you ;  marry  another.'  The  shallow 
plotter  forgets  that  whoever  she  does  marry  I'll  kill. 
How  many  unsuspicious  girls  have  these  double-faced 
mothers  deluded  so  ?  They  do  it  in  half  the  novels, 
especially  in  those  written  by  women ;  and  why  ? 
because  these  know  the  perfidy  and  mendacity  of  their 
sex  better  than  we  do ;  they  see  them  nearer,  and  with 
their  souls  undressed.  War,  Mrs.  Dodd,  war  to  the 
death  !  From  this  moment  I  am  alone  in  the  world 
with  her.  I  have  no  friend  but  Alfred  Hardie;  and 
my  bitterest  enemies  are  my  cold-blooded  father,  and 
her  cold-blooded  mother." 

The  above  sentences,  of  course,  were  never  uttered. 
But  they  represent  his  thoughts  accurately,  though  in  a 
condensed  form,  and  are,  as  it  were,  a  minia-ture  of  this 
young  heart  boiling  over. 

From  that  moment  he  lay  in  wait  for  her,  and  hovered 
about  the  house  day  and  night,  determined  to  appeal  to 
her  personally,  and  undeceive  her,  and  baffle  her  mother's 
treachery.  But  at  this  game  he  was  soon  detected;  Mrs. 
Dodd  lived  on  the  watch  now.  Julia,  dressed  to  go  out, 
went  to  the  window  one  afternoon  to  look  at  the 
weather ;  but  retreated  somewhat  hastily  and  sat  down 
on  the  sofa. 

"  You  flutter,  darling,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd.  "  Ah,  he  is 
there." 

''  Yes." 

"  You  had  better  take  off  your  things." 

"  Oh,  yes.  I  tremble  at  the  thoughts  of  meeting  him. 
Mamma,  he  is  changed,  sadly  changed.  Poor,  poor 
Alfred  ! "  She  went  to  her  own  room  and  prayed  for 
him.  She  informed  the  Omniscient  that,  though  much 
greater  and  better  in  other  respects  than  she  was,  he  had 


HARD   CASH.  165 

not  patience.  She  prayed,  with  tears,  that  he  might 
have  Christian  patience  granted  him  from  on  high. 

"  Heart  of  stone  !  she  shuns  me,"  said  Alfred  outside. 
He  had  seen  her  in  her  bonnet. 

INIrs.  Dodd  waited  several  days  to  see  whether  this 
annoyance  would  not  die  of  itself  ;  waiting  was  her  plan 
in  most  things.  Finding  he  was  not  to  be  tired  out,  she 
sent  Sarah  out  to  him  with  a  note  carefully  sealed. 

jNIr.  Alfred  Hakdie, — Is  it  generous  to  confine  my 
daughter  to  the  house  ? 

Yours  regretfully, 

Lucy  Dodd, 

A  line  came  back  instantly  in  pencil. 

Mrs.  Dodd,  —  Is  all  the  generosit}-  and  all  the  good  faith  to 
be  on  one  side  ? 

Yours  in  despair, 

Alfred  Hardie. 

Mrs.  Dodd  colored  faintly ;  the  reproach  pricked  her, 
but  did  not  move  her.  She  sat  quietly  down  tliat 
moment,  and  wrote  to  a  friend  in  London,  to  look  out 
for  a  furnished  villa  in  a  healthy  part  of  the  suburbs, 
with  immediate  possession.  "  Circumstances,"  said  she, 
"  making  it  desirable  we  should  leave  Barkington  imme- 
diately, and  for  some  months." 

The  Bosanquets  gave  a  large  party ;  Mrs.  and  Miss 
Dodd  were  there.  The  latter  was  playing  a  part  in  a 
charade  to  the  admiration  of  all  present,  when  in  came 
Mr.  Peterson,  introducing  his  friend,  Alfred  Hardie. 

Julia  caught  the  name,  and  turned  a  look  of  alarm  on 
her  mother :  but  went  on  acting. 

Presently  she  caught  sight  of  him  at  some  distance. 
He  looked  very  pale,  and  his  glittering  eye  was  fixed  on 
her  with  a  sort  of  stern  wonder. 


166  HARD  CASH. 

Such  a  glance  from  fiery  eyes,  that  had  always  dwelt 
tenderly  on  her  till  then,  struck  her  like  a  weapon.  She 
stopped  short,  and  turned  red  and  pale  by  turns. 
'•'  There,  that  is  nonsense  enough,"  said  she  bitterly,  and 
went  and  sat  by  Mrs.  Dodd.  The  gentlemen  thronged 
round  her  with  compliments,  and  begged  her  to  sing. 
She  excused  herself.  Presently  she  heard  an  excited 
voice,  towards  which  she  dared  not  look ;  it  was  inquir- 
ing whether  any  lady  could  sing  "  Aileen  Aroon."  With 
every  desire  to  gratify  the  young  millionnaire,  nobody 
knew  "  Aileen  Aroon,"  nor  had  ever  heard  of  it. 

"  Oh,  impossible  !  "  cried  Alfred.  "  Why,  it  is  in 
praise  of  constancy,  a  virtue  ladies  shine  in ;  at  least, 
they  take  credit  for  it." 

"Mamma,"  whispered  Julia,  terrified,  "get  me  away, 
or  there  will  be  a  scene.     He  is  reckless." 

"  Be  calm,  love,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd,  "  there  shall  be 
none."  She  rose  and  glided  up  to  Alfred  Hardie,  looked 
coldly  in  his  face ;  then  said  with  external  politeness 
and  veiled  contempt,  "I  will  attempt  the  song,  sir,  since 
you  desire  it."  She  waved  her  hand,  and  he  followed 
her  sulkily  to  the  piano.  She  sang  "Aileen  Aroon,"  not 
with  her  daughter's  eloquence,  but  with  a  purity  and 
mellowness  that  charmed  the  room :  they  had  never 
heard  the  genius  sing  it. 

As  spirits  are  said  to  overcome  the  man  at  whose 
behest  they  rise,  so  this  sweet  air,  and  the  gush  of 
reminiscence  it  awakened,  overpowered  him  wlio  had 
evoked  them.  Alfred  put  his  hand  unconsciously  to  his 
swelling  heart,  cast  one  look  of  anguish  at  Julia,  and 
hurried  away  half  choked.     Nobody  but  Julia  noticed. 

A  fellow  in  a  rough  great-coat  and  tattered  white  hat 
opened  the  fly  door  for  Mrs.  Dodd.  As  Julia  followed 
her,  he  kissed  her  skirt  unseen  by  Mrs.  Dodd ;  but  her 


HARD  CASH.  167 

quick  ears  caught  a  heart-breaking  sigh.  She  looked 
and  recognized  Alfred  in  that  disguise  ;  the  penitent  fit 
had  succeeded  to  the  angry  one.  Had  Julia  observed  ? 
To  ascertain  this  without  speaking  of  him,  Mrs.  Dodd 
waited  till  they  had  got  some  little  distance,  then  quietly 
put  out  her  hand  and  rested  it  for  a  moment  on  her 
daughter's ;  the  girl  was  trembling  violently.  "  Little 
wretch  ! "  came  to  Mrs.  Dodd's  lips,  but  she  did  not  utter 
it.  They  were  near  home  before  she  spoke  at  all,  and 
then  she  only  said  very  kindly,  "IMy  love,  you  will  not 
be  subjected  again  to  these  trials  ; "'  a  remark  intended 
quietly  to  cover  the  last  occurrence  as  well  as  Alfred's 
open  persecution. 

They  had  promised  to  go  out  the  very  next  day  ;  but 
Mrs.  Dodd  went  alone,  and  made  excuses  for  Miss  Dodd. 
On  her  return  she  found  Julia  sitting  up  for  her,  and  a 
letter  come  from  her  friend,  describing  a  pleasant  cot- 
tage, now  vacant,  near  Maida  Vale.  j\[rs.  Dodd  handed 
the  open  letter  to  Julia ;  she  read  it  without  comment. 

*^  We  will  go  up  to-morrow  and  take  it  for  three 
months.     Then  the  Oxford  vacation  will  terminate." 

"  Yes,  mamma." 

I  am  now  about  to  relate  a  circumstance  by  no  means 
without  parallels,  but  almost  impossible  to  account  for ; 
and,  as  nothing  is  more  common  and  contemptible  than 
inadequate  solutions,  I  will  offer  none  at  all ;  but  so  it 
was,  that  Mrs.  Dodd  awoke  in  the  middle  of  that  very 
night  in  a  mysterious  state  of  mental  tremor;  trouble, 
veiled  in  obscurity,  seemed  to  sit  heavy  on  her  bosom. 
So  strong,  though  vague,  was  this  new  and  mysterious 
oppression,  that  she  started  up  in  bed  and  cried  aloud, 
"David!  — Julia!  — Oh,  what  is  the  matter?"  The 
sound  of  her  own  voice  dispelled  the  cloud  in  part,  but 
not  entirely.     She  lay  awhile,  and  then  finding  herself 


168  HARD   CASH. 

quite  averse  to  sleep,  rose  and  went  to  her  window,  and 
eyed  the  weather  anxiously.  It  was  a  fine  night ;  soft 
fleecy  clouds  drifted  slowly  across  a  silver  moon.  The 
sailor's  wife  was  reassured  on  her  husband's  behalf.  Her 
next  desire  was  to  look  at  Julia  sleeping ;  she  had  no 
particular  object ;  it  was  the  instinctive  impulse  of  an 
anxious  mother  whom  something  had  terrified.  She  put 
on  her  slippers  and  dressing-gown,  and,  lighting  a  candle 
at  her  night-lamp,  opened  her  door  softly  and  stepped 
into  the  little  corridor.  But  she  had  not  taken  two  steps 
when  she  was  arrested  by  a  mysterious  sound. 

It  came  from  Julia's  room. 

What  was  it  ? 

jNIrs.  Dodd  glided  softly  nearer  and  nearer,  all  her 
senses  on  the  stretch. 

The  sound  came  again.     It  was  a  muffled  sob. 

The  stifled  sound,  just  audible  in  the  dead  stillness  of 
the  night,  went  through  and  through  her  who  stood  there 
listening  aghast.  Her  bowels  yearned  over  her  child ; 
and  she  hurried  to  the  door,  but  recollected  herself,  and 
knocked  very  gently.  "  Don't  be  alarmed,  love,  it  is 
only  me.  May  I  come  in  ?  "  She  did  not  wait  for  the 
answer,  but  turned  the  handle  and  entered.  She  found 
Julia  sitting  up  in  bed,  looking  wildly  at  her,  with  cheeks 
flushed  and  wet.  She  sat  on  the  bed  and  clasped  her  to 
her  breast  in  silence :  but  more  than  one  warm  tear  ran 
down  upon  Julia's  bare  neck  ;  the  girl  felt  them  drop, 
and  her  own  gushed  in  a  shower. 

"  Oh,  what  have  I  done  ? "  she  sobbed.  "  Am  I  to 
make  you  wretched,  too  ?  " 

Mrs.  Dodd  did  not  immediately  reply.  She  was  there 
to  console  ;  and  her  admirable  good-sense  told  her  that 
to  do  that  she  must  be  calmer  than  her  patient ;  so,  even 
while  she  kissed  and  wept  over  Julia,  she  managed  grad- 
ually to  recover  her  composure.     "Tell  me,  my  child," 


HARD   CASH.  169 

said  she,  "why  do  3-011  act  a  part  with  nie  ?  Why  brave 
it  out  under  my  eye,  and  spend  the  night  secretly  in 
tears  ?     Are  you  still  afraid  to  trust  me  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,  no  !  but  I  thought  I  was  so  strong,  so  proud  : 
I  undertook  miracles.  I  soon  found  my  pride  was  a  mole- 
hill, and  my  love  a  mountain.  I  could  not  hold  out  by 
day  if  I  did  not  ease  my  breaking  heart  at  night.  How 
unfortunate !  I  kept  my  head  under  the  bed-clothes,  too ; 
but  you  have  such  ears.  I  thought  I  would  stifle  my 
grief,  or  else  perhaps  you  would  be  as  wretched  as  I  am  : 
forgive  me  !  pray,  forgive  me  ! " 

"  On  one  condition,"  said  Mvs.  Dodd,  struggling  with 
the  emotion  these  simple  words  caused  her.  —  "Anything 
to  be  forgiven,"  cried  Julia,  impetuously.  "I'll  go  to 
London.  I'll  go  to  Botany  Bay.  I  deserve  to  be 
hanged." 

"  Then,  from  this  hour,  no  half-confidences  between  us. 
Dear  me,  you  carry  in  your  own  bosom  a  much  harsher 
judge,  a  much  less  indulgent  friend,  than  I  am.  Come  ! 
trust  me  with  your  heart.  Do  you  love  him  very  much  ? 
Does  your  happiness  dej^end  on  him  ?  " 

At  this  point-blank  question,  Julia  put  her  head  over 
Mrs.  Dodd's  shoulder,  not  to  be  seen  ;  and,  clasping  her 
tight,  murmured  scarce  above  a  whisper,  "I  don't  know 
how  much  I  love  him.  When  he  came  in  at  that  party 
I  felt  his  slave  ;  his  unfaithful  adoring  slave  ;  if  he  had 
ordered  me  to  sing  '  Aileen  Aroon,'  I  should  have  obeyed ; 
if  he  had  commanded  me  take  his  hand  and  leave  the 
room,  I  think  I  should  have  obeyed.  His  face  is  always 
before  me  as  plain  as  life  ;  it  used  to  come  to  me  bright 
and  loving ;  now  it  is  pale  and  stern  and  sad  ;  I  Avas  not 
so  Avretched  till  I  saw  he  was  pining  for  me,  and  thinks 
me  inconstant.  0  mamma  !  so  pale  !  so  shrunk  !  so  reck- 
less !  He  was  sorry  for  misbehaving  that  night :  he 
changed  clothes  with  a  beggar  to  kiss  my  dress :  poor 


170  HARD   CASH. 

thing  !  poor  tiling  !  Who  ever  loved  as  he  does  me  ?  1 
am  dying  for  him  ;  I  am  dying." 

'•'  There  !  there  !  "  said  Mrs.  Dodd,  soothingly.  "  You 
have  said  enough.  This  must  be  love.  I  am  on  your 
Alfred's  side  from  this  hour." 

Julia  opened  her  eyes,  and  was  a  good  deal  agitated  as 
"well  as  surprised.  "Pray  do  not  raise  my  hopes,"  she 
gasped.  "We  are  parted  forever.  His  father  refuses. 
Even  you  seemed  averse  ;  or  have  I  been  dreaming  ?  " 

"  Me,  dearest  ?  How  can  I  be  averse  to  anything 
lawful,  on  which  I  find  your  heart  is  really  set,  and  your 
happiness  at  stake  ?  Of  course  I  have  stopped  the  actual 
intercourse,  under  existing  circumstances  ;  but  these  cir- 
cumstances are  not  unalterable  :  your  only  obstacle  is 
Mr.  Kichard  Hardie." 

"  But  what  an  obstacle  ! "  sighed  Julia.  "  His  father  ! 
a  man  of  iron  !  so  everybody  says  ;  for  I  have  made 
inquiries  —  oh  !"  And  she  was  abashed.  She  resumed, 
hastily,  "  And  that  letter,  so  cold,  so  cruel !  I  feel  it  was 
written  by  one  not  open  to  gentle  influences.  He  does 
not  think  me  worthy  of  his  son  ;  so  accomplished,  so  dis- 
tinguished, at  the  very  university  where  our  poor  Edward 
—  has  —  you  know  "  — 

"  Little  simpleton  ! "  said  Mrs.  Dodd,  and  kissed  her 
tenderly;  "your  iron  man  is  the  commonest  clay;  sor- 
did ;  pliable  ;  and  your  stern  heroic  Brutus  is  a  shop- 
keeper ;  he  is  open  to  the  gentle  influences  which  sway 
the  kindred  souls  of  the  men  you  and  I  buy  our  shoes, 
our  tea,  our  gloves,  our  fish-kettles,  of :  and  these  influ- 
ences I  think  I  command,  and  am  prepared  to  use  them 
to  the  utmost." 

Julia  lay  silent,  and  wondering  what  she  could  mean. 

But  Mrs.  Dodd  hesitated  now ;  it  pained  and  revolted 
her  to  shoAv  her  enthusiastic  girl  the  world  as  it  is.  She 
said  as  much,  and  added,  "  I  seem  to  be  going  to  aid  all 


HARD   CASH.  171 

these  people  to  take  the  bloom  from  my  own  child's  inno- 
cence.    Heaven  help  me  ! " 

"  Oh,  never  mind  that,"  cried  Julia,  in  her  ardent  way  j 
"give  me  truth  before  error,  however  pleasing." 

Mrs.  Dodd  replied  only  by  a  sigh :  grand  general 
sentiments  like  that,  never  penetrated  her  mind :  they 
glided  off  like  water  from  a  duck's  back.  "We  will 
begin  with  this  mercantile  Brutus,  then,"  said  she,  with 
such  a  curl  of  the  lip.     Brutus  had  rejected  her  daughter. 

''  IMr.  Eichard  Hardie  was  born  and  bred  in  a  bank  ; 
one  where  no  wild  thyme  blows,  my  poor  enthusiast ; 
nor  cowslips  nor  the  nodding  violet  grows  ;  but  gold 
and  silver  chink,  and  things  are  discounted,  and  men 
grow  rich,  slowly  but  surely,  by  lawful  use  of  other  peo- 
ple's money.  Breathed  upon  by  these  'gentle  influences,' 
he  was,  from  his  youth,  a  remarkable  man  ;  measured  by 
trade's  standard.  At  five  and  twenty,  divine  what  he 
did  !  He  saved  the  bank.  You  have  read  of  bubbles ; 
the  Mississippi  Bubble  and  the  South  Sea  Bubble.  Well, 
in  the  year  1825,  it  was  not  one  bubble,  but  a  thousand ; 
mines  by  the  score,  and  in  distant  lands  ;  companies  by 
the  hundred ;  loans  to  every  nation  or  tribe  ;  doAvn  to 
Guatemala,  Patagonia,  and  Greece ;  two  hundred  new 
ships  were  laid  on  the  stocks  in  one  year,  for  your  dear 
papa  told  me  ;  in  short,  a  fever  of  speculation,  and  the 
whole  nation  raging  with  it :  my  dear,  princes,  dukes, 
duchesses,  bishops,  poets,  lawyers,  physicians,  were  seen 
struggling  with  their  own  footmen  for  a  place  in  the 
Exchange  :  and,  at  last,  good,  steady  old  Mr.  Hardie, 
Alfred's  grandfather,  was  drawn  into  the  vortex.  Now, 
to  excuse  him  and  appreciate  the  precocious  Richard,  you 
must  try  and  realize  that  these  bubbles,  when  they  rise, 
are  as  alluring  and  reasonable,  as  they  are  ridiculous  and 
incredible  when  one  looks  back  on  them  ;  even  soap- 
bubbles,  you  know,  have  rainbow  hues  till  they  burst; 


172  HARD   CASH. 

and,  indeed,  the  blind  avarice  of  men  does  but  resemble 
the  blind  vanity  of  women  :  look  at  our  grandmothers' 
hoops,  and  our  mothers'  short  waists  and  monstrous  heads. 
Yet  in  their  day  what  woman  did  not  glory  in  these 
insanities  ?  Well  then,  Mr.  Richard  Hardie,  at  twenty- 
five,  was  the  one  to  foresee  the  end  of  all  these  bubbles  ; 
he  came  down  from  London  and  brought  his  people  to 
their  senses  by  sober  reason,  and  '  sound  commercial 
principles  ; '  that  means,  I  believe,  '  Get  other  people's 
money,  but  do  not  risk  your  own.'  His  superiority  was 
so  clear,  that  his  father  resigned  the  helm  to  him,  and, 
thanks  to  his  ability,  the  bank  weathered  the  storm, 
while  all  the  other  ones  in  the  town  broke  or  suspended 
their  trade.  Now,  you  know,  youth  is  naturally  ardent 
and  speculative  :  but  Richard  Hardie's  was  colder  and 
wiser  than  other  people's  old  age  :  and  that  is  one  trait. 
Some  years  later,  in  the  height  of  his  prosperity,  —  I 
reveal  this  only  for  your  comfort,  and  on  your  sacred 
promise,  as  a  person  of  delicacy,  never  to  repeat  it  to  a 
soul,  —  Richard  Hardie  was  a  suitor  for  my  hand." 

"  ]\[amma  ! " 

"Do  not  ejaculate,  sweetest.  It  discomposes  me. 
'Nothing  is  extraordinary,'  as  that  good  creature.  Dr. 
Sampson,  says.  He  must  have  thought  it  would  answer, 
in  one  way  or  another,  to  have  a  gentlewoman  at  the 
head  of  his  table  ;  and  I  was  not  penniless,  bien  entendu. 
Failing  in  this,  he  found  a  plain  little  thing,  Avith  a 
gloomy  temper  and  no  accomplishments  nor  graces  ;  but 
her  father  could  settle  twenty  thousand  pounds.  He 
married  her  directly  :  and  that  is  a  trait.  He  sold  his 
father's  and  grandfather's  house  and  place  of  business, 
in  spite  of  all  their  associations,  and  obtained  a  lease  of 
his  present  place  from  my  uncle  Fountain  :  it  seemed  a 
more  money-making  situation.  A  trait.  He  gives  me 
no  reason  for  rejecting  my  daughter.    Why  ?  because  he 


HARD   CASH.  173 

is  not  proud  of  his  reasons  :  this  walking  avarice  has 
intelligence  :  a  trait.  Now  put  all  this  together,  and 
who  more  transparent  than  the  profound  Mr.  Hardie  ? 
He  has  declined  our  alliance  because  he  takes  for  granted 
we  are  poor.  When  I  undeceive  him  on  that  head,  he 
will  reopen  negotiations  in  a  letter ;  No.  2  of  the  corre- 
spondence ;  copied  by  one  of  his  clerks  :  it  will  be  calm, 
plausible,  flattering  :  in  short,  it  will  be  done  like  a  gen- 
tleman, though  he  is  nothing  of  the  kind.  And  this 
brings  me  to  what  I  ought  to  have  begun  with  ;  your 
dear  father  and  I  have  always  lived  within  our  income 
for  our  children's  sake  ;  he  is  bringing  home  the  bulk  of 
our  savings  this  very  voyage,  and  it  amounts  to  fourteen 
thousand  })Ounds." 

"  Oh,  what  an  enormous  sum  ! " 

"No,  dearest,  it  is  not  a  fortune  in  itself.  But  it  is  a 
considerable  sum  to  possess,  independent  of  one's  settle- 
ment and  one's  income.  It  is  loose  cash,  to  speak  a  la 
Hardie ;  that  means,  I  can  do  what  I  choose  with  it ;  and 
of  course  I  choose  —  to  make  you  happy.  How  I  shall 
work  on  what  you  call  iron,  and  I  venture  to  call  clay, 
must  be  guided  by  circumstances.  I  think  of  depositing 
three  or  four  thousand  pounds  every  month  with  Mr. 
Hardie ;  he  is  our  banker,  you  know.  He  will  most 
likely  open  his  eyes,  and  make  some  move  before  the 
whole  sum  is  in  his  hands.  If  he  does  not,  I  shall  per- 
haps call  at  his  bank,  and  draw  a  check  for  fourteen 
thousand  pounds.  The  wealthiest  provincial  banker 
does  not  keep  such  a  sum  floating  in  his  shop-tills. 
His  commercial  honor,  the  one  semi-chivalrous  senti- 
ment in  his  soul,  would  be  in  peril.  He  would  yield, 
and  with  grace  :  none  the  iess  readily  that  his  house  and 
his  bank,  which  have  been  long  heavily  mortgaged  to  our 
trustees,  were  made  virtually  theirs  by  agreement  yester- 
day (I  set  this  on  foot  within  twelve  hours  of  Mr.  Iron's 


174  HARD  CASH. 

impertinent  letter),  and  he  will  say  to  himself,  'She  can 
—  post  me,  I  think  these  people  call  it  —  this  afternoon 
for  not  cashing  her  check,  and  she  can  turn  me  and  my 
bank  into  the  street  to-morrow  : '  and  then,  of  course,  he 
shall  see  by  my  manner  the  velvet  paw  is  offered  as  well 
as  the  claw.  He  is  pretty  sure  to  ask  himself  which  will 
suit  the  ledger  best  —  this  cat's  friendship  and  her  four- 
teen thousand  pounds  or — an  insulted  mother's  enmity  ?  " 
And  Mrs.  Placid's  teeth  made  a  little  click  just  audible 
in  the  silent  night. 

"  0  mamma !  my  heart  is  sick.  Am  I  to  be  bought 
and  sold  like  this  ?  " 

Mrs.  Dodd  sighed;  but  said  calmly,  "You  must  pay 
the  penalty  for  loving  a  parvenu's  son.  Come,  Julia,  no 
peevishness,  no  more  romance,  no  more  vacillation.  You 
have  tried  pride,  and  failed  pitiably ;  now  I  insist  on 
your  trying  love  !  Child,  it  is  the  bane  of  our  sex  to 
carry  nothing  out :  from  that  weakness  I  will  preserve 
you.  And,  by-the-by,  we  are  not  going  to  jnarry  Mr. 
Richard  Hardie,  but  Mr.  Alfred.  Now,  Mr.  Alfred,  with 
all  his  faults  and  defects  "  — 

"  Mamma  !  what  faults  ?  what  defects  ?  " 

" — Is  a  gentleman  ;  tlianks  to  Oxford  and  Harrow  and 
nature.  My  darling,  pray  to  Heaven  night  and  day  for 
your  dear  father's  safe  return  ;  for  on  him,  and  him  alone, 
your  happiness  depends  :  as  mine  does." 

"  Mamma,"  cried  Julia,  embracing  her,  "  what  do  poor 
girls  do  who  have  lost  tlieir  mother  ?  " 

"  Look  abroad  and  see,"  was  the  grave  reply. 

Mrs.  Dodd  then  begged  her  to  go  to  sleep,  like  a  good 
child,  for  her  health's  sake  :  all  would  be  well ;  and  with 
this  was  about  to  return  to  her  own  room,  but  a  white 
hand  and  arm  darted  out  of  the  bed  and  caught  her. 
"What !  Hope  has  come  to  me  by  night  in  the  form  of 
an  angel,  and  shall  I  let  her  go  back  to  her  own  room  ? 


HARD   CASH.  175 

Never,  never,  never,  never,  never  ! "  And  she  patted  the 
bed  expressively,  and  with  the  prettiest  impatience. 

"  Well,  let  Hope  take  off  her  earrings  first,"  suggested 
Mrs.  Dodd. 

"No,  no;  come  here  directly,  earrings  and  all." 

"  No,  thank  you  :  or  I  shall  have  them  wounding  you 
next." 

Mrs.  Hope  quietly  removed  her  earrings,  and  the  ten- 
der pair  passed  the  rest  of  the  night  in  one  another's 
arms.  The  young  girl's  tears  were  dried,  and  hope  re- 
vived, and  life  bloomed  again :  only  henceforth  her 
longing  eyes  looked  out  to  sea  for  her  father,  homeward 
bound. 

Next  day,  as  they  were  seated  together  in  the  drawing- 
room,  Julia  came  from  the  window  with  a  rush,  and 
kneeled  at  Mrs.  Dodd's  knees,  with  bright,  imploring 
face  upturned. 

"He  is  there,  and  —  I  am  to  speak  to  him  ?  Is  that 
it?" 

"  Dear,  dear,  dear  mamma ! "  was  the  somewhat 
oblique  reply. 

"  Well,  then,  bring  me  my  things." 

She  was  ten  minutes  putting  them  on  ;  Julia  tried  to 
expedite  her,  and  retarded  her.  She  had  her  pace,  and 
could  not  go  beyond  it. 

Now  by  this  time  Alfred  Hardie  was  thoroughly  mis- 
erable. Unable  to  move  his  father,  shunned  by  Julia, 
sickened  by  what  he  had  heard,  and  indeed  seen,  of  her 
gayety  and  indifference  to  their  separation,  stung  by 
jealousy,  and  fretted  by  impatience,  he  was  drinking 
nearly  all  the  bitters  of  that  sweet  passion,  love.  But, 
as  you  are  aware,  he  ascribed  Julia's  inconstancy,  light- 
ness, and  cruelty,  all  to  Mrs.  Dodd.  He  hated  her  cor- 
dially, and  dreaded  her  into  the  bargain ;  he  played  the 
sentinel  about  her  door  all  the  more  because  she  had 


176  HARD   CASH. 

asked  liim  not  to  do  it.  ''Always  do  what  your  enemy 
particularly  objects  to,"  said  he,  applying  to  his  own  case 
the  wisdom  of  a  Greek  philosopher,  one  of  his  teachers. 

So,  when  the  gate  suddenly  opened,  and  instead  of 
Julia,  this  very  Mrs.  Dodd  walked  towards  him,  his  feel- 
ings were  anything  but  enviable.  He  wished  himself 
away  heartily,  but  was  too  proud  to  retreat.  He  stood 
his  ground.  She  came  up  to  him ;  a  charming  smile 
broke  out  over  her  features.  "  Ah,  ]\Ir.  Hardie,"  said 
she,  "if  you  have  nothing  better  to  do,  will  you  give 
me  a  minute  ?  "  He  assented  with  surprise  and  an  ill 
grace. 

"  May  I  take  your  arm  ?  " 

He  offered  it  with  a  worse. 

She  laid  her  hand  lightly  on  it,  and  it  shuddered  at 
her  touch.     He  felt  like  walking  with  a  velvet  tigress. 

By  some  instinct  she  divined  his  sentiments,  and  found 
her  task  more  difficult  than  she  had  thought;  she  took 
some  steps  in  silence.  At  last,  as  he  was  no  dissembler, 
he  burst  out  passionately,  "  Why  are  you  my  enemy  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  your  enemy,"  said  she  quietly. 

"  Kot  openly,  but  all  the  more  dangerous.  You  keep 
us  apart,  you  bid  her  be  gay,  and  forget  me  ;  you  are  a 
cruel,  hard-hearted  lady." 

"No,  I  am  not,  sir,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd,  simply. 

"  Oh  !  I  believe  you  are  good  and  kind  to  all  the  rest 
of  the  world,  but  you  know  you  have  a  heart  of  iron 
for  me." 

"  I  am  my  daughter's  friend,  but  not  your  enemy  :  it 
is  you  who  are  too  inexperienced  to  know  how  delicate, 
how  difficult,  my  duties  are.  It  is  only  since  last  night 
I  see  my  way  clear ;  and  look,  I  come  at  once  to  you 
with  friendly  intentions.  Su})pose  I  were  as  impetuous 
as  you  are !  I  should,  perhaps,  be  calling  you  ungrate- 
ful." 


HARD   CASH.  177 

He  retorted  bitterly :  "  Give  me  something  to  be 
grateful  for,  and  you  shall  see  whether  that  baseness  is 
in  my  nature." 

"  I  have  a  great  mind  to  put  you  to  the  proof,"  said 
she  archly.  "  Let  us  walk  down  this  lane  ;  then  you 
can  be  as  unjust  to  me  as  you  think  'proper,  without 
attracting  public  attention." 

In  the  lane  she  told  him  quietly  she  knew  the  nature 
of  his  father's  objections  to  the  alliance  he  had  so  much 
at  heart,  and  they  were  objections  which  her  husband, 
on  his  return,  would  remove.  On  this  he  changed  his 
tone  a  little,  and  implored  her  piteously  not  to  deceive 
him, 

"  I  will  not,"  said  she,  "  upon  my  honor.  If  you  are 
as  constant  as  my  daughter  is  in  her  esteem  for  you,  — 
notwithstanding  her  threadbare  gayety  worn  over  loyal 
regret,  and  to  check  a  parcel  of  idle  ladies'  tongues,  — 
you  have  nothing  to  fear  from  me,  and  everything  to 
expect.  Come,  Alfred, — may  I  take  that  liberty  with, 
you  ?  —  let  us  understand  one  another.  We  only  want 
that,  to  be  friends." 

This  was  hard  to  resist ;  and  at  his  age.  His  lip  trem- 
bled, he  hesitated,  but  at  last  gave  her  his  hand.  She 
walked  two  hours  with  him,  and  laid  herself  out  to 
enlighten,  soothe,  and  comfort  his  sore  heart.  His  hopes 
and  happiness  revived  under  her  magic,  as  Julia's  had. 
In  the  midst  of  it  all,  the  wise  woman  quietly  made 
terms.  He  was  not  to  come  to  the  house  but  on  her 
invitation,  unless  indeed  he  had  news  of  the  Agra  to 
communicate  ;  but  he  might  write  once  a  week  to  her, 
and  enclose  a  few  lines  to  Julia.  On  this  concession, 
he  proceeded  to  mumble  her  white  wrist,  and  call  her 
his  best,  dearest,  loveliest  friend :  his  mother.  "  Oh, 
remember,"  said  he,  Avith  a  relic  of  distrust,  "you  are 
the  only  mother  I  can  ever  hope  to  have." 
12 


178  HARD   CASH. 

That  touched  her.  Hitherto,  he  had  been  to  hei  but 
a  tiling  her  daughter  loved. 

Her  eyes  filled.  "  ]\Iy  poor,  warm-hearted,  motherless 
boy,"  she  said,  "pray  for  my  husba,nd's  safe  return. 
For  on  that  your  happiness  depends,  and  hers,  and 
mine." 

So  now  two  more  bright  eyes  looked  longingly  sea- 
ward for  the  Agra  homeward  bound. 


HAED   CASH.  179 


CHAPTER  VIL 

KoRTH  latitude  23^,  longitude  east  113;  the  time 
Marcli  of  this  same  year ;  the  wind  southerly ;  the  port 
Whampoa,  in  the  Canton  Eiver.  Ships  at  anchor  reared 
their  tall  masts  here  and  there ;  and  the  broad  stream 
was  enlivened  and  colored  by  junks  and  boats  of  all 
sizes  and  vivid  hues,  propelled  on  the  screw  principle  by 
a  great  scull  at  the  stern,  with  projecting  handles  for 
the  crew  to  work  ;  and  at  times  a  gorgeous  mandarin 
boat,  with  two  great  glaring  eyes  set  in  the  bows,  came 
flying,  rowed  with  forty  paddles  by  an  armed  crew, 
whose  shields  hung  on  the  gunwale  and  flashed  fire  in 
the  sunbeams :  the  mandarin,  in  conical  and  buttoned 
hat,  sitting  on  the  top  of  his  cabin  calmly  smoking 
paradise,  alias  opium,  while  his  gong  boomed  and  his 
boat  flew  fourteen  miles  an  hour,  and  all  things  scuttled 
out  of  his  celestial  way.  And  there,  looking  majestic- 
ally down  on  all  these  water  ants,  —  the  huge  Agra, 
cynosure  of  so  many  loving  eyes  and  loving  hearts  in 
England,  lay  at  her  moorings,  homeward  bound. 

Her  tea  not  being  yet  on  board,  the  ship's  hull  floated 
high  as  a  castle,  and  to  the  subtle,  intellectual,  doll- 
faced,  bolus-eyed  people,  that  sculled  to  and  fro  busy  as 
bees,  though  looking  forked  mushrooms,  she  sounded 
like  a  vast  musical  shell ;  for  a  lusty  harmony  of  many 
mellow  voices  vibrated  in  her  great  cavities,  and  made 
the  air  ring  cheerily  around  her.  The  vocalists  were  the 
Cyclops,  to  judge  by  the  tremendous  thumps  that  kept 
clean  time  to  their  sturdy  tune.  Yet  it  was  but  human 
labor,  so  heavy  and  so  knowing,  that  it  had  called  in 


180 


HAKD   CASH. 


music  to  help.  It  was  the  third  mate  and  his  gang 
completing  his  floor  to  receive  the  coming  tea-chests. 
Yesterday  he  had  stowed  his  dunnage,  many  hundred 
bundles  of  light,  flexible  canes  from  Sumatra  and 
]\Ialacca ;  on  these  he  had  laid  tons  of  rough  saltpetre, 
in  two-hundred-pound  gunny-bags,  and  was  now  mashing 
it  to  music,  bags  and  all.  His  gang  of  fifteen,  naked  to 
the  waist,  stood  in  line,  with  huge  wooden  beetles  called 
commanders,  and  lifted  them  high  and  brought  them 
down  on  the  nitre  in  cadence  with  true  nautical  power 
and  unison,  singing  as  follows,  with  a  ponderous  bump 
on  the  first  note  in  each  bar :  — 


i!=d: 


One  now    it     is  gone,      There's  an    -   o-ther  yet     to 


-7-^ 


come, 

And  a  -  way 

^    -A    :^    -A- 

we'll  go      to     Flanders,             A  - 

■ ^ Ik 1^ — ^ — S — 

#..- 

— !>; — N — i — s- 

U±  ^  ^  •  ^-l=r^^^  H 

i) 

,-»•      ■»               .    . 

mongst  our  wooden  com-manders,  where  we'll  get  wine  in 


-y-r-t M 

— ^ s 1 

t — ^~ 

— : — 

n 

^'"—r^—^ 

-^-—t—r-^ 

— • — 

4 

-?-' 

M , 1 

*      V 

^... 

' 

— — u 

plen  -  ty,        Rum,  bran  -  dy,     and    Ge    -  na  -  vy. 
Here  goes  two.     Owe  me  there  two,  &c. 

And  so  up  to  fifteen,  when  the  stave  was  concluded 
with  a  shrill  "  Spell,  oh  ! "  and  the  gang  relieved,  stream- 
ing with  perspiration.  When  the  saltpetre  was  well 
mashed,  they  r(jlled  ton  water-butts  on  it,  till  the  floor 
was  like  a  billiard-table.     A  fleet  of  chop-boats  then 


HARD   CASH.  181 

began  to  arrive,  so  many  per  day,  with  the  tea-chests. 
Mr.  Grey  proceeded  to  lay  the  first  tier  on  his  saltpetre 
floor,  and  then  built  the  chests,  tier  upon  tier,  beginning 
at  the  sides,  and  leaving  in  the  middle  a  lane  somewhat 
narrower  than  a  tea-chest.  Then  he  applied  a  screw- 
jack  to  the  chests  on  both  sides,  and  so  enlarged  his 
central  aperture,  and  forced  the  remaining  tea-chests  in ; 
and  behold  the  enormous  cargo  packed  as  tight  as  ever 
shopkeeper  packed  a  box  —  nineteen  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  six  chests,  sixty  half  chests,  fifty  quarter 
chests. 

"While  Mr.  Grey  was  contemplating  his  work  with 
singular  satisfaction,  a  small  boat  from  Canton  came 
alongside,  and  Mr.  Tickell,  midshipman,  ran  up  the 
side,  skipped  on  the  quarter-deck,  saluted  it  first,  and 
then  the  first  mate  ;  and  gave  him  a  line  from  the  cap- 
tain, desiring  him  to  take  the  ship  down  to  Second  Bar, 
for  her  water,  at  the  turn  of  the  tide. 

Two  hours  after  receipt  of  this  order  the  ship  swung 
to  the  ebb.  Instantly  ]Mr.  Sharpe  unmoored,  and  the 
Agra  began  her  famous  voyage,  with  her  head  at  right 
angles  to  her  course  ;  for  the  wind  being  foul,  all  Sharpe 
could  do  was  to  set  his  topsails,  driver,  and  jib,  and  keep 
her  in  the  tide  way,  and  clear  of  the  numerous  craft,  by 
backing  or  filling  as  the  case  required ;  which  he  did 
with  considerable  dexterity,  making  the  sails  steer  the 
helm  for  the  nonce.  He  crossed  the  bar  at  sunset,  and 
brought  to  with  the  best  bower  anchor  in  five  fathoms 
and  a  half.  Here  they  began  to  take  in  their  water,  and 
on  the  fifth  day  the  six-oared  gig  was  ordered  up  to 
Canton  for  the  captain.  The  next  afternoon  he  passed 
the  ship  in  her,  going  down  the  river  to  Lin-Tin,  to 
board  the  Chinese  admiral  for  his  chop,  or  permission 
to  leave  China.  All  night  the  Agra  showed  three  lights 
at  her  mizzen-peak  for  him,  and  kept  a  sharp  lookout. 


182  HARD  CASH. 

But  he  did  not  come ;  he  was  having  a  very  serious  talk 
with  the  Chinese  admiral.  At  daybreak,  however,  the 
gig  was  reported  in  sight;  Sharpe  told  one  of  the  mid- 
shipmen to  call  the  boatswain  and  man  the  side.  Soon 
the  gig  ran  alongside ;  two  of  the  ship's  boys  jumped 
like  monkeys  over  the  bulwarks,  lighting,  one  on  the 
main  channels,  the  other  on  the  midship  port,  and  put 
the  side  ropes  assiduously  in  the  captain's  hands ;  he 
bestowed  a  slight  paternal  smile  on  them,  the  first  the 
imps  had  ever  received  from  an  officer,  and  went  lightly 
up  the  sides.  The  moment  his  foot  touched  the  deck, 
the  boatswain  gave  a  frightful  shrill  whistle;  the  men 
at  the  sides  uncovered  ;  the  captain  saluted  the  quarter- 
deck, and  all  the  officers  saluted  him,  which  he  returned, 
and  stepping  for  a  moment  to  the  weather-side  of  his 
deck,  gave  the  loud  command,  '^  All  hands  heave  anchor." 
He  then  directed  Mr.  Sharpe  to  get  what  sail  he  could 
on  the  ship,  the  wind  being  now  westerly,  and  dived 
into  his  cabin. 

The  boatswain  piped  three  shrill  pipes,  and  "All 
hands  up  anchor,"  was  thrice  repeated  forward,  followed 
by  private  admonitions,  "  Rouse  and  bitt ! "  "  Show  a 
leg!"  etc.,  and  up  tumbled  the  crew  with  "homeward 
bound"  written  on  their  tanned  faces. 

(Pipe.)     "  Up  all  hammocks." 

In  ten  minutes  the  ninety  and  odd  hammocks  were 
all  stowed  neatly  in  the  netting,  and  covered  with  a 
snowy  hammock  cloth ;  and  the  hands  were  active, 
unbitting  the  cable,  shipping  the  capstan  bars,  etc. 

"  All  ready  below,  sir,"  cried  a  voice. 

"  Man  the  bars,"  returned  Mr.  Sharpe  from  the  quarter- 
deck.    "Play  up,  fifer.     Heave  away." 

Out  broke  the  merry  fife  with  a  rhythmical  tune,  and 
tramp,  tramp,  tramp  went  a  hundred  and  twenty  feet 
round  and  round;  and,  with  brawny  chests  pressed  tight 


HAED   CASH.  183 

against  the  capstan-bars,  sixty  fine  fellows  "walked  the 
ship  up  to  her  anchor,  drowning  the  fife  at  intervals  with 
their  sturdy  song,  as  pat  to  their  feet  as  an  echo, — 

Heave  with  a  will,  j-e  jolly  boys, 

Heave  ai'ound : 
We're  off  from  Chainee,  jolly  boys. 

Homeward  bound. 

"Short  stay  apeak,  sir,"  roars  the  boatswain  from 
forward. 

"Unship  the  bars.    Way  aloft.     Loose  sails.     Let  fall." 

The  ship  being  now  over  her  anchor,  and  the  top-sails 
set,  the  capstan-bars  were  shipped  again,  the  men  all 
heaved  with  a  will,  the  messenger  grinned,  the  anchor 
was  torn  out  of  China  with  a  mighty  heave,  and  then 
run  up  with  a  luff  tackle  and  secured,  the  ship's  head 
cast  to  port. 

"Up  with  the  jib.  ^Man  the  taupsle  halliards.  All 
hands  make  sail."  Eound  she  came  slow  and  majestic- 
ally ;  the  sails  filled,  and  the  good  ship  bore  away  for 
England. 

She  made  the  Bogue  forts  in  three  or  four  tacks,  and 
^here  she  had  to  come  to  again  for  another  chop ;  China 
being  a  place  as  hard  to  get  into  as  heaven,  and  to  get 
out  of  as  —  chancery.  At  three  p.m.  she  was  at  ]\[acao, 
and  hove-to  four  miles  from  the  land  to  take  in  her 
passengers. 

A  gun  was  fired  from  the  forecastle.  Xo  boats  came 
off.  Sharpe  began  to  fret ;  for  the  wind,  though  light, 
had  now  got  to  the  north-west,  and  they  were  wasting  it. 
After  awhile  the  captain  came  on  deck,  and  ordered  all 
the  carronades  to  be  scaled.  The  eight  heavy  reports 
bellowed  the  great  ship's  impatience  across  the  water, 
and  out  pulled  two  boats  with  the  passengers.  "While 
thej  were  coming,  Dodd  sent  and  ordered  the  gunner  to 


184  HARD   CASH. 

load  the  carronades  with  shot,  and  secure  and  apron 
them.  The  first  boat  brought  Colonel  Kenealy,  Mr.  FuU- 
alove,  and  a  prodigious  negro,  who  all  mounted  by  the 
side-ropes.  But  the  whip  was  rigged  for  tlie  next  boat, 
and  the  Honorable  Mrs.  Beresford  and  poodle  hoisted  on 
board.  Item,  her  white  maid ;  item,  her  black  nurse ; 
item,  her  little  boy,  and  male  Oriental  in  charge  thereof, 
the  strangest  compound  of  dignity  and  servility  and  of 
black  and  white,  being  clad  in  snowy  cotton  and  japanned 
to  the  nine. 

Mrs.  Beresford  was  the  wife  of  a  Member  of  Council 
in  India.  She  had  been  to  jNIacao  for  her  boy's  health, 
intending  to  return  to  Calcutta ;  but  meantime  her  hus- 
band was  made  a  director,  and  went  home,  so  she  was 
going  to  join  him.  A  tall,  handsome  lady,  with  too 
curved  a  nose. 

Like  most  aquiline  women,  she  was  born  to  domineer 
a  bit ;  and,  for  the  last  ten  years,  Orientals  cringing  at 
her  knee,  and  Europeans  flattering  at  her  ear,  had  nursed 
this  quality  high,  and  spoiled  her  Avith  all  their  might. 
A  similar  process  had  been  applied  to  her  boy  Frederick 
from  infancy.  He  was  now  nearly  six.  Arrogance  and 
caprice  shone  so  in  both  their  sallow  faces,  and  spoke  so 
in  every  gesture,  that,  as  they  came  on  board,  Sharpe,  a 
reader  of  passengers,  whispered  the  second  mate,  "Bay- 
liss,  we  have  shipped  the  devil." 

"  And  a  cargo  of  his  imps,"  grunted  Mr.  Bayliss. 

Mr.  Fullalove  was  a  Methodist  parson  —  to  the  naked 
eye ;  grave,  sober,  lean,  lank-haired.  But  some  men  are 
hidden  fires.  Fullalove  was  one  of  the  extraordinary 
products  of  an  extraordinary  nation,  the  United  States 
of  America.  He  was  an  engineer  for  one  thing,  and  an 
inventive  and  practical  mechanician;  held  two  patents  of 
his  own  creating,  which  yielded  him  a  good  income  both 
at  home  and  in  Great  Britain.     Such  results  are  seldom 


HARD   CASH.  185 

achieved  without  deep  study  and  seclusion;  and,  accord- 
ingly, Joshua  Fullalove,  when  the  inventive  fit  was  on, 
would  be  buried  deep  as  Archimedes  for  a  twelvemonth, 
burning  the  midnight  oil.  Then,  his  active  element  pre- 
dominating, the  pale  student  would  dash  into  the  forest 
or  the  prairie,  with  a  rifle  and  an  Indian,  and  come  out 
bronzed,  and  more  or  less  bepanthered  or  bebuffaloed; 
thence  invariably  to  sea  for  a  year  or  two ;  there,  Anglo- 
Saxon  to  the  backbone,  his  romance  had  ever  an  eye  to 
business.  He  was  always  after  foreign  mechanical  inven- 
tions,—  he  was  now  importing  an  excellent  one  from 
Japan, — and  ready  to  do  lucrative  feats  of  knowledge. 
Thus  he  bought  a  Turkish  ship  at  the  bottom  of  the 
Dardanelles  for  twelve  hundred  dollars,  raised  her  cargo 
(hardware),  and  sold  it  for  six  thousand  dollars ;  then 
weighed  the  empty  ship,  pumped  her,  repaired  her,  and 
navigated  her  himself  into  Boston  harbor,  Massachusetts. 
On  the  way  he  rescued,  with  his  late  drowned  ship,  a 
Swedish  vessel,  and  received  salvage.  He  once  fished 
eighty  elephants'  tusks  out  of  a  craft  foundered  in  the 
Firth  of  Forth,  to  the  disgust  of  elder  Anglo-Saxons  look- 
ing on  from  the  shore.  These  unusual  pursuits  were 
varied  by  a  singular  recreation ;  he  played  at  elevating 
the  African  character  to  European  levels.  "With  this 
view  he  had  bought  the  Vespasian  for  eighteen  hundred 
dollars;  whereof  anon.  America  is  fertile  in  mixtures: 
what  do  we  not  owe  her  ?  Sherry-cobbler,  gin-sling,  cock- 
tail, mint-julep,  brand3--smash,  sudden  death,  eye-openers. 
Well,  one  day  she  outdid  herself,  and  mixed  Fullalove : 
Quaker,  Nimrod,  Archimede,  philanthropist,  decorous  Ked 
Rover,  and  what  not. 

The  passenger  boats  cast  loose. 

"  All  hands  make  sail !  " 

The  boatswain  piped,  the  light-heeled  topsmen  sped  up 
the  ratlines,  and  lay  out  on  the  yards,  while  all  on  deck 


186  HARD   CASH. 

looked  up,  as  usual,  to  see  them  work.  Out  bellied  sail 
after  sail  aloft;  the  ship  came  courtesying  round  to  the 
southward,  spread  her  snowy  pinions  high  and  wide, 
and  went  like  a  bird  over  the  wrinkled  sea,  homeward 
bound. 

It  was  an  exhilarating  start,  and  all  faces  were  bright 
—  but  one.  The  captain  looked  somewhat  grave  and 
thoughtful,  and  often  scanned  the  horizon  with  his  glass. 
He  gave  polite  but  very  short  answers  to  his  friend 
Colonel  Kenealy,  who  was  firing  nothings  in  his  ear,  and 
sent  for  the  gunner. 

While  that  personage,  a  crusty  old  Niler,  called  Monk, 
is  cleaning  himself  to  go  on  the  quarter-deck,  peep  we 
into  Captain  Dodd's  troubled  mind,  and  into  the  circum- 
stances which  connect  him  with  the  heart  of  this  story, 
despite  the  twelve  thousand  miles  of  water  between  him 
and  the  lovers  at  Barkington. 

It  had  always  been  his  pride  to  lay  by  money  for  his 
wife  and  children,  and,  under  advice  of  an  Indian  friend, 
he  had,  during  the  last  few  years,  placed  considerable 
sums,  at  intervals,  in  a  great  Calcutta  house,  which  gave 
eight  per  cent  for  deposits ;  swelled  by  fresh  capital,  and 
such  high  interest,  the  hoard  grew  fast.  When  his  old 
ship,  sore  battered  off  the  Cape,  was  condemned  by  the 
Company's  agents  at  Canton,  he  sailed  to  Calcutta,  intend- 
ing to  return  thence  to  England  as  a  passenger.  But 
while  he  was  at  Calcutta  the  greatest  firm  there  sus- 
pended payment,  carr3'ing  astonishment  and  dismay  into 
a  hundred  families.  At  such  moments  the  press  and  the 
fireside  ring  for  a  little  while  the  common-sense  cry, 
"Good  interest  means  bad  security."^  As  for  Dodd,  who 
till  then  had  revered  all  these  great  houses  with  nautical 
or  childlike  confidence,  a  blind  terror  took  the  place  of 
blind  trust  in  him.     He  felt  guilty  towards  his  children 

1  The  Duke  of  Wellington  (the  iron  one)  is  the  author  of  this  saying. 


HAED   CASH.  187 

for  risking  their  money  (he  had  got  to  believe  it  was 
theirs,  not  his),  and  vowed,  if  he  could  only  get  hold  of 
it  once  more,  he  would  never  trust  a  penny  of  it  out  of 
his  own  hands  again,  except,  perhaps,  to  the  Bank  of  Eng- 
land. But  should  he  ever  get  it  ?  It  was  a  large  sum. 
He  went  to  Messrs.  Anderson  and  Anderson,  and  drew 
for  his  fourteen  thousand  pounds.  To  his  disma}-,  but 
hardly  to  his  surprise,  the  clerks  looked  at  one  another, 
and  sent  the  check  into  some  inner  department.  Dodd 
was  kept  waiting.  His  heart  sank  within  him ;  there 
was  a  hitch. 

Meantime  came  a  government  officer,  and  paid  in  an 
enormous  sum  in  notes  and  mercantile  bills,  principally 
the  latter. 

Presently  Dodd  was  invited  into  the  manager's  room. 

*'  Leaving  the  country,  Captain  Dodd  ?  " 

"Yes,  sir." 

"  You  had  better  take  some  of  your  money  in  bills  at 
sight  on  London." 

"  I  would  rather  have  notes,  sir,"  faltered  Dodd. 

"Oh!  bills  by  Oliveira  upon  Baring  are  just  as  good, 
even  without  our  indorsement.  However,  you  can  have 
half  and  half.  Calcutta  does  but  little  in  English  bank- 
notes, you  know." 

They  gave  him  his  money.  The  bills  were  all  mani- 
festl}'  good;  but  he  recognized  one  of  them  as  having 
just  been  paid  in  b}'  the  civilian.  He  found  himself 
somehow  safe  in  the  street  clutching  the  cash,  with  one 
half  of  his  great  paternal  heart  on  fire,  and  the  other 
half  freezing.  He  had  rescued  his  children's  fortune, 
but  he  had  seen  destruction  graze  it.  The  natural  chill 
at  being  scraped  by  peril  soon  passed,  the  triumphant 
glow  remained.  The  next  sentiment  was  precaution;  he 
filled  with  it  to  the  brim.  He  went  and  bought  a  great 
broad  pocket-book  with  a  key  to  it ;  though  he  was  on 


188  HARD  CASH. 

dry  land,  he  covered  it  with  oiled  silk  against  the  water, 
and  sewed  the  whole  thing  to  his  flannel  waistcoat,  and 
felt  for  it  with  his  hand  a  hundred  times  a  day;  the  fruit 
of  his  own  toil,  his  children's  hoard,  the  rescued  treasure 
he  was  to  have  the  joy  of  bringing  home  safe  to  the  dear 
partner  of  all  his  joys. 

Unexpectedly  he  was  ordered  out  to  Canton  to  sail 
the  Agra  to  the  Cape.  Then  a  novel  and  strange  feeling 
came  over  him  like  a  cloud ;  that  feeling  was  a  sense  of 
personal  danger;  not  that  the  many  perils  of  the  deep 
were  new  to  him.  He  had  faced  them  these  five  and 
twenty  years,  but  till  now  they  were  little  present  to 
his  imagination ;  they  used  to  come,  be  encountered,  be 
gone ;  but  now,  though  absent,  they  darkened  the  way. 
It  was  the  pocket-book,  the  material  treasure,  the  hard 
cash,  which  had  lately  set  him  in  a  glow,  seemed  now  to 
load  his  chest  and  hang  heavy  round  the  neck  of  his 
heart.  Sailors  are  more  or  less  superstitious ;  and  men 
are  creatures  of  habit,  even  in  their  courage.  .Xow  David 
had  never  gone  to  sea  with  a  lot  of  money  on  him  before. 
As  he  was  a  stout-hearted  man,  these  vague  forebodings 
would,  perhaps,  have  cleared  away  with  the  bustle,  Avhen 
the  Agra  set  her  studding  sails  off  Macao,  but  for  a  piece 
of  positive  intelligence  he  had  picked  up  at  Lin-Tin.  The 
Chinese  admiral  had  warned  him  of  a  pirate,  a  daring 
pirate,  who  had  been  lately  cruising  in  these  waters ;  first 
heard  of  south  the  line ;  but  had  since  taken  a  Russian 
ship  at  the  very  mouth  of  the  Canton  River,  murdered 
the  crew  in  sight  of  land,  and  sold  the  women  for  slaves 
or  worse.  Dodd  asked  for  particulars.  Was  he  a  La- 
(Ironer,  a  IVfalay,  a  Bornese  ?  In  what  latitude  was  he 
to  be  looked  for  ?  The  admiral  on  this  examined  his 
memoranda.  By  these  it  appeared  little  was  known  as 
yet  about  the  miscreant,  except  that  he  never  cruised 
long  on  one  ground;  the  crew  was  a  mixeijl  one;  the 


HARD   CASH.  189 

captain  was  believed  to  be  a  Portuguese,  and  to  have  a 
consort  commanded  by  his  brother ;  but  this  was  doubt- 
fid,  at  all  events  the  pair  had  never  been  seen  at  work 
together. 

The  gunner  arrived  and  saluted  the  quarter-deck  ;  the 
captain  on  this  saluted  him,  and  beckoned  him  to  the 
weather  side.  On  this  the  other  officers  kept  religiously 
to  leeward. 

"Mr.  Monk,"  said  Dodd,  "you  Avill  clean  and  prepare 
all  the  small  arms  directly." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir ! "  said  the  old  Niler,  with  a  gleam  of 
satisfaction. 

"  How  many  of  your  deck  guns  are  serviceable  ?  " 

This  simple  question  stirred  up  in  one  moment  all  the 
bile  in  the  poor  old  gentleman's  nature. 

"  My  deck  guns  serviceable  !     How  the can  they, 

when  that  son  of  a  sea  cook,  your  third  mate,  has  been 
and  lashed  the  water  butts  to  their  breechings,  and 
jammed  his  gear  in  between  their  nozzles,  till  they  can't 
breathe,  poor  things,  far  less  bark  ?  I  wish  he  was  lashed 
between  the  devil's  hind-hocks,  with  a  red-hot  cable,  as 
tight  as  he  has  jammed  my  guns." 

"Be  so  good  as  not  to  swear,  Mr.  Monk,"  said  Dodd. 
"  At  your  age,  sir,  I  look  to  you  to  set  an  example  to  the 
petty  officers." 

"  Well,  I  won't  swear  no  more,  sir ;  d d  if  I  do ! " 

He  added  very  loudly  and  with  a  seeming  access  of  ire, 
"And  I  ax  your  pardon,  captain,  and  the  deck's." 

When  a  man  has  a  deep  anxiety,  some  human  midge 
or  mosquito  buzzes  at  him.  It  is  a  rule.  To  Dodd, 
heavy  with  responsibility,  and  a  dark  misgiving  he  must 
not  communicate,  came  delicately,  and  by  degrees,  and 
with  a  semigenuflexion  every  three  steps,  one  like  a  mag- 
pie ;  and,  putting  his  hands  together,  as  our  children  do 
to  approach  the  Almighty,  delivered  himself  thus,  in 


190  HARD  CASH. 

modulated  tones,  and  good  Hindostanee:  "The  Daughter 
of  Light,  in  whose  beams  I,  Ramgolam,  bask,  glows  with 
an  amicable  desire  to  see  the  lord  commander  of  the  ship 
resembling  a  mountain,  and  to  make  a  communica- 
tion." 

Taught  by  sad  experience  how  weighty  are  the  com- 
munications the  daughters  of  light  pour  into  nautical 
commanders  at  sea,  Dodd  hailed  j\Ir.  Tickell,  a  midship- 
num,  and  sent  him  down  to  the  lady's  cabin.  Mr.  Tickell 
soon  came  back  reddish,  but  grinning,  to  say  that  noth- 
ing less  than  the  captain  would  do. 

Dodd  sighed,  and  dismissed  Monk,  with  a  promise  to 
inspect  the  gun-deck  himself;  then  went  down  to  Mrs. 
Beresford  and  found  her  indignant.  "Why  had  he  stopped 
the  ship  miles  and  miles  from  Macao,  and  given  her  the 
trouble  and  annoyance  of  a  voyage  in  that  nasty  little 
boat  ?  —  Dodd  opened  his  great  brown  eyes,  "  Why, 
madam,  it  is  shoal  water  off  Macao ;  we  dare  not  come 
in." 

"No  evasion,  sir.  What  have  I  to  do  with  your  shoal 
water  ?  it  was  laziness,  and  want  of  consideration  for  a 
lady  who  has  rented  half  your  ship." 

"  Nothing  of  the  kind,  madam,  I  assure  you." 

"Are  you  the  person  they  call  Gentleman  Dodd?" 

«  Yes." 

"  Then  don't  contradict  a  lady  !  or  I  shall  take  the 
liberty  to  dispute  your  title." 

Dodd  took  no  notice  of  this,  and,  with  a  patience  few 
nautical  commanders  would  have  shown,  endeavored  to 
make  her  see  that  he  was  obliged  to  give  jSIacao  shoals  a 
wide  berth,  or  cast  away  the  ship.  She  would  not  see 
it.  When  Dodd  saw  she  wanted,  not  an  explanation, 
but  a  grievance,  he  ceased  to  thwart  her.  "  I  am  neglect- 
ing my  duties  to  no  purpose,"  said  he,  and  left  her 
without  ceremony.     This  was  a  fresh  offence;   and;  as 


HARD   CASH.  191 

he  went  out,  she  declared  open  war.  And  she  made  it, 
too,  from  that  hour :  a  war  of  pins  and  needles. 

Dodd  went  on  the  gun-deck,  and  found  that  the  defence 
of  the  ship  had,  as  usual  in  these  peaceful  days,  been 
sacrificed  to  the  cargo.  Out  of  twenty  eighteen-pounders 
she  carried  on  that  deck,  he  cleared  three,  and  that  with 
difficulty.  To  clear  any  more  he  must  have  sacrificed 
either  merchandise  or  water;  and  he  was  not  the  man 
to  do  either  on  the  mere  chance  of  a  danger  so  unusual 
as  an  encounter  with  a  pirate.  He  was  a  merchant  cap- 
tain, not  a  Avarrior. 

Meantime,  the  Agra  had  already  shown  him  great 
sailing  qualities ;  the  log  was  hove  at  sundown  and  gave 
eleven  knots  ;  so  that  with  a  good  breeze  abaft,  few  fore- 
and-aft-rigged  pirates  could  overhaul  her.  And  this 
wind  carried  her  swiftly  past  one  nest  of  them,  at  all 
events,  the  Ladrone  isles.  At  nine  p.m.  all  the  lights 
were  ordered  out.  Mrs.  Beresford  had  brought  a  novel 
on  board,  and  refused  to  comply :  the  master-at-arms 
insisted ;  she  threatened  him  with  the  vengeance  of  the 
Company,  the  premier,  and  the  nobility  and  gentry  of 
the  British  realm.  The  master-at-arms,  finding  he  had 
no  chance  in  argument,  doused  the  glim  —  pitiable 
resource  of  a  weak  disputant  —  then  basely  fled  the 
rhetorical  consequences. 

The  northerly  breeze  died  out,  and  light,  variable 
winds  baffled  the  ship.  It  was  the  6th  April  ere  she 
passed  the  Macclesfield  Bank  in  latitude  16.  And  now 
they  sailed  for  many  days  ovit  of  sight  of  land.  Dodd's 
chest  expanded;  his  main  anxiety  at  this  part  of  the 
voyage  lay  in  the  state  cabin;  of  all  the  perils  of  the 
sea,  none  shakes  a  sailor  like  fire.  He  set  a  watch  day 
and  night  on  that  spoiled  child. 

On  the  1st  May  they  passed  the  great  Nantuna,  and 
got  among  the  Bornese  and  Malay  Islands :  at  which  the 


192  HARD   CASH. 

captain's  glass  began  to  sweep  the  horizon  again :  and 
night  and  day  at  the  dizzy  foretop  gallant  masthead  he 
perched  an  eye. 

They  crossed  the  line  in  longitude  107,  with  a  slight 
breeze,  but  soon  fell  into  the  doldrums.  A  dead  calm, 
and  nothing  to  do  but  kill  time.  Dodd  had  put  down 
Neptune  :  that  old  blackguard  could  no  longer  row  out 
on  the  ship's  port  side  and  board  her  on  the  starboard, 
pretending  to  come  from  ocean's  depths,  and  shave  the 
novices  with  a  rusty  hoop,  and  dab  a  soapy  brush  in 
their  mouths.  "But  champagne  popped,  the  sexes  flirted, 
and  the  sailors  spun  fathomless  yarns,  and  danced  rat- 
tling hornpipes,  fiddled  to  by  the  grave  Fullalove.  "If 
there  is  a  thing  I  can  dew,  it's  fiddle,"  said  he.  He  and 
his  friend,  as  he  systematically  called  Vespasian,  taught 
the  crew  Yankee  steps,  and  were  beloved.  One  honest 
saltatory  British  tar  offered  that  Western  pair  his  grog 
for  a  week.  Even  Mrs.  Beresford  emerged,  and  walked 
the  deck,  quenching  her  austere  regards  with  a  familiar 
smile  on  Colonel  Kenealy,  her  escort ;  this  gallant  good- 
natured  soldier  flattered  her  to  the  nine ;  and,  finding 
her  sweeten  with  his  treacle,  tried  to  reconcile  her  to  his 
old  friend  Dodd.  Straight  she  soured,  and  forbade  tbe 
topic  imperiously. 

By  this  time  the  mates  and  midshipmen  of  the  Agra 
had  fathomed  their  captain.  Mr.  Tickell  delivered  the 
mind  of  the  united  midshipmen  when  he  proposed 
Dodd's  health  in  their  mess-room,  "as  a  navigator,  a 
mathematician,  a  seaman,  a  gentleman,  and  a  brick, 
with  3  times  3." 

Dodd  never  spoke  to  his  oflicers  like  a  ruffian,  nor  yet 
palavered  them  ;  but  he  had  a  very  pleasant  way  of  con- 
veying appreciation  of  an  officer's  zeal,  by  a  knowing 
nod  with  a  kindly  smile  on  the  heels  of  it.  As  for  the 
men,  they  seldom  come  in  contact  with  the  captain  of  a 


HARD   CASH.  193 

well-officered  ship:  this  crew  only  knew  him  at  first  as 
a  good-tempered  soul,  who  didn't  bother  about  nothing. 
But  one  day,  as  they  lay  becalmed  south  of  the  line,  a 
jolly  foretopman  came  on  the  quarter-deck  with  a  fid  of 
soup,  and  saluting  and  scraping,  first  to  the  deck,  then 
to  the  captain,  asked  him  if  he  would  taste  that. 

*'Yes,  my  man.     Smoked!" 

"Like and  blazes,  your  honor,  axing  your  pardon, 

and  the  deck's." 

"Young  gentleman,"  said  Dodd  to  Mr.  Meredith,  a 
midshipman,  "  be  so  good  as  to  send  the  cook  aft." 

The  cook  came,  and  received,  not  an  oath  nor  a  threat, 
but  a  remonstrance  and  a  grim  warning. 

In  the  teeth  of  this  he  burned  the  soup  horribly  the 
very  next  day.  The  crew  sent  the  lucky  foretopman  aft 
again.  He  made  his  scrape  and  presented  his  fid.  The 
captain  tasted  the  soup,  and  sent  jVIr.  Grey  to  bid  the 
boatswain's  mate  pipe  the  hands  on  deck  and  bring  the 
cook  aft. 

"  Quartermaster,  unsling  a  fire-bucket,  and  fill  it  from 
the  men's  kids.  Mr.  Tickell,  see  the  cook  swallow  his 
own  mess.  Bosen's  mate,  take  a  bight  of  the  flying  jib 
sheet,  stand  over  him,  and  start  him  if  he  dallies  with 
it."  With  this  the  captain  went  below ;  and  the  cook, 
supping  at  the  bucket,  delivered  himself  as  follows : 
"Well,  ye  lubbers,  it  is  first-rate.  There^s  no  burn  in  it. 
It  goes  down  like  oil.  Curse  your  ladylike  stomachs ; 
you  ain't  fit  for  a  ship ;  why  don't  ye  go  ashore  and  man 
a   gingerbread   coach,   and   feed   off   French   frogs    and 

Italian  baccy-pipe  stems  ?     (Whack.)     What  the is 

that  for  ?  " 

Boatstvain's  mate.     Sup  more,  and  jaw  less. 

"  Well,  I  am  supping  as  fast  as  I  can.  (Whack, 
whack.)  Bloody  end  to  ye,  what  are  ye  about  ?  (Whack, 
whack,  whack.)  0  Joe,  Lord  bless  you,  I  can't  eat  any 
13 


194  HARD  CASH. 

more   of  it.     (Whack.)     I'll   give   you  my  grog   for  a 

week,  only  to  let  me  fling  the stuff  over  the  side. 

(Whack,  whack,  whack.)  Oh,  good,  kind,  dear  Mr. 
Tickell,  do  go  down  to  the  captain  for  me."  (Whack, 
whack.) 

"  Avast ! "  cried  the  captain  reappearing ;  and  the 
uplifted  rope  fell  harmless. 

"  Silence,  fore  and  aft ! " 

(Pipe.) 

"  The  cook  has  received  a  light  punishment  this  time, 
for  spoiling  the  men's  mess.  My  crew  shall  eat  nothing 
I  can't  eat  myself.  My  care  is  heavier  than  theirs  is ; 
but  not  my  work,  nor  my  danger  in  time  of  danger. 
Mind  that,  or  you'll  find  I  can  be  as  severe  as  any 
master  afloat.     Purser." 

"  Sir." 

*'  Double  the  men's  grog ;  they  have  been  cheated  of 
their  meal." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir." 

"  And  stop  the  cook's  and  his  mate's  for  a  week." 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir." 

"Bosen,  pipe  down." 

"  Shipmates,  listen  to  me,"  said  the  foretopman 
"This  old  Agra  is  a  d — d  com-for-table  ship." 

The  oracular  sentence  was  hailed  with  a  ringing  cheer. 
Still,  it  is  unlucky  the  British  seaman  is  so  enamoured  of 
theological  terms,  for  he  constantly  misapplies  them. 

After  lying  a  week  like  a  dead  log  on  the  calm  but 
heaving  waters,  came  a  few  light  puffs  in  the  upper  air 
and  inflated  the  topsails  only ;  the  ship  crawled  south- 
ward, the  crew  whistling  for  wind. 

At  last,  one  afternoon,  it  began  to  rain,  and  after  the 
rain  came  a  gale  from  the  eastward.  The  watchful 
skipper  saw  it  purple  the  water  to  windward,  and 
ordered   the   topsails   to   be   reefed   and   the   lee  ports 


HAED   CASH.  195 

closed.  This  last  order  seemed  an  excess  of  precaution ; 
but  Dodd  Avas  not  yet  thoroughly  acquainted  with  his 
ship's  qualities  ;  and  the  hard  cash  round  his  neck  made 
him  cautious.  The  lee  ports  were  closed,  all  but  one, 
and  that  was  lowered.  Mr.  Grey  was  Avorking  a  prob- 
lem in  his  cabin,  and  wanted  a  little  light  and  a  little 
ail",  so  he  just  drooped  his  port;  but,  not  to  deviate  from 
the  spirit  of  his  captain's  instructions,  he  fastened  a 
tackle  to  it,  that  he  might  have  mechanical  force  to  close 
it  with  should  the  ship  lie  over. 

Down  came  the  gale  with  a  whoo,  and  made  all  crack. 
The  ship  lay  over  pretty  much,  and  the  sea  poured  in  at 
Mr.  Grey's  port.  He  applied  his  purchase  to  close  it. 
But  though  his  tackle  gave  him  the  force  of  a  dozen 
hands,  he  might  as  well  have  tried  to  move  a  mountain ; 
on  the  contrary,  the  tremendous  sea  rushed  in  and  burst 
the  port  wide  open.  Grey,  after  a  vain  struggle  with  its 
might,  shrieked  for  help;  down  tumbled  the  nearest 
hands,  and  hauled  on  the  tackle  in  vain.  Destruction 
was  rushing  on  the  ship,  and  on  them  first.  But,  mean- 
time, the  captain,  with  a  shrewd  guess  at  the  general 
nature  of  the  danger  he  could  not  see,  had  roared  out, 
"  Slack  the  main  sheet ! "  The  ship  righted,  and  the 
port  came  flying  to,  and  terror-stricken  men  breathed 
hard,  up  to  their  waists  in  water  and  floating  boxes. 
Grey  barred  the  unlucky  port,  and  went  aft,  drenched  in 
body,  and  wretched  in  mind,  to  report  his  own  fault. 
He  found  the  captain  looking  grim  as  death.  He  told 
him,  almost  crying,  what  he  had  done,  and  how  he  had 
miscalculated  the  power  of  the  water. 

Dodd  looked  and  saw  his  distress.  "  Let  it  be  a  lesson, 
sir,"  said  he,  sternly.  "  How  many  ships  have  been  lost 
by  this  in  fair  weather,  and  not  a  man  saved  to  tell  how 
the  craft  was  fooled  away." 

"  Captain,  bid  me  fling  myself  over  the  side,  and  I'll 
do  it." 


196  HARD   CASH. 

"Humph!  I'm  afraid  I  can't  afford  to  lose  a  good 
officer  for  a  fault  he  —  will  —  never  —  repeat." 

It  blew  hard  all  night,  and  till  twelve  the  next  day. 
The  Agra  showed  her  weak  point :  she  rolled  abominably. 
A  dirty  night  came  on.  At  eight  bells,  Mr.  Grey,  touched 
by  Dodd's  clemency,  and  brimful  of  zeal,  reported  a  light 
in  Mrs.  Beresford's  cabin.  It  had  been  put  out  as  usual 
by  the  master-at-arms ;  but  the  refractory  one  had 
relighted  it. 

"  Go  and  take  it  away,"  said  Dodd. 

Soon  screams  were  heard  from  the  cabin.  "Oh, 
mercy  !  mercy  !  I  will  not  be  drowned  in  the  dark." 

Dodd,  who  had  kept  clear  of  her  so  long,  went  down 
and  tried  to  reassure  her. 

"  Oh,  the  tempest !  the  tempest ! "  she  cried.     "  And 

TO    BE    DROWNED    IN    THE    DARK  !  " 

"  Tempest  ?  It  is  blowing  half  a  gale  of  wind,  that 
is  all." 

"  Half  a  gale !  Ah,  that  is  the  way  you  always  talk 
to  us  ladies.  Oh,  pray  give  me  my  light,  and  send  me  a 
clergyman." 

Dodd  took  pity,  and  let  her  have  her  light,  with  a 
midshipman  to  watch  it.  He  even  made  her  a  hypo- 
critical promise  that,  should  there  be  one  grain  of  danger, 
he  would  lie  to ;  but  said  he  must  not  make  a  foul  wind 
of  a  fair  one  for  a  few  lee  lurches.  Tlie  Agra  broke 
plenty  of  glass  and  crockery,  though,  with  her  fair  wind 
and  her  lee  lurches. 

Wind  down  at  noon  next  day,  and  a  dead  calm. 

At  two  P.M.  the  weather  cleared;  the  sun  came  out 
high  in  heaven's  centre ;  and  a  balmy  breeze  from  the 
.west. 

At  six  twenty-five,  the  grand  orb  set  calm  and  red,  and 
the  sea  was  gorgeous  with  miles  and  miles  of  great  ruby 
dimples  J  it  was  the  first  glowing  smile  of  southern  lati- 


HARD   CASH.  197 

tnde.  The  night  stole  on  so  soft,  so  clear,  so  balmy,  all 
were  loath  to  close  their  eyes  on  it ;  the  passengers  lin- 
gered long  on  deck,  watching  the  Great  Bear  dip,  and 
tlie  Southern  Cross  rise,  and  overhead  a  whole  heaven  of 
glorious  stars  most  of  us  have  never  seen,  and  never 
shall  see  in  this  world.  No  belching  smoke  obscured, 
no  plunging  paddles  deafened ;  all  was  musical ;  the  soft 
air  sighing  among  the  sails ;  the  phosphorescent  water 
bubbling  from  the  ship's  bows ;  the  murmurs  from  little 
knots  of  men  on  deck,  subdued  by  the  great  calm ;  home 
seemed  near,  all  danger  far;  peace  ruled  the  sea,  the  sky, 
the  heart ;  the  ship,  making  a  track  of  white  fire  on  the 
deep,  glided  gently  yet  swiftly  homeward,  urged  by 
snowy  sails  piled  up  like  alabaster  towers  against  a 
violet  sky,  out  of  which  looked  a  thousand  eyes  of  holy, 
tranquil  fire.     So  melted  the  sweet  night  away. 

Now  carmine  streaks  tinged  the  eastern  sky  at  the 
water's  edge ;  and  that  water  blushed ;  now  the  streaks 
turned  orange,  and  the  waves  below  them  sparkled. 
Thence  splashes  of  living  gold  flew  and  settled  on  the 
ship's  white  sails,  the  deck,  and  the  faces;  and  with  no 
more  prologue,  being  so  near  the  line,  up  came  majestic- 
ally a  huge,  fiery,  golden  sun,  and  set  the  sea  flaming 
liquid  topaz. 

Instant  the  look-out  at  the  foretop  gallant  masthead 
hailed  the  deck  below.     "  Strange  sail !   Right  ahead  !  " 

The  strange  sail  was  reported  to  Captain  Dodd,  then 
dressing  in  his  cabin.  He  came  soon  after  on  deck  and 
hailed  the  look-out :  "  Which  way  is  she  standing  ?  " 

"  Can't  say,  sir.     Can't  see  her  move  any." 

Dodd  ordered  the  boatswain  to  pipe  to  breakfast ;  and 
taking  his  deck-glass  went  lightly  up  to  the  foretop  gal- 
lant mast-crosstrees.  Thence,  through  the  light  haze  of 
a  glorious  morning,  he  espied  a  long  low  schooner,  latine- 
rigged,  lying  close  under  Point  Leat,  a  small  island  about 


198  HARD   CASH. 

nine  miles  distant  on  the  weather  bow;  and  nearly  in 
the  Agra's  course  then  approaching  the  Straits  of  Gasper, 
4  latitude  S. 

"  She  is  hove  to,"  said  Dodd,  very  gravely. 

At  eight  o'clock,  the  stranger  lay  about  two  miles  to 
windward,  and  still  hove  to. 

By  this  time  all  eyes  were  turned  upon  her  and  half  a 
dozen  glasses.  Everybody,  except  the  captain,  delivered 
an  opinion.  She  was  a  Greek  lying  to  for  water :  she 
was  a  Malay  coming  north  with  canes,  and  short  of 
hands :  she  was  a  pirate  watching  the  straits. 

The  captain  leaned  silent  and  sombre  with  his  arms 
on  the  bulwarks,  and  watched  the  suspected  craft. 

Mr.  Fullalove  joined  the  group,  and  levelled  a  power- 
ful glass  of  his  own  construction.  His  inspection  was 
long  and  minute,  and,  while  the  glass  was  at  his  eye, 
Sharpe  asked  him,  half  in  a  whisper,  could  he  make  out 
anything  ? 

'•'Wal/'  said  he,  "the  varmint  looks  considerable 
snaky."  Then,  without  moving  his  glass,  he  let  drop 
a  word  at  a  time,  as  if  the  facts  were  trickling  into  his 
telescope  at  the  lens,  and  out  at  the  sight.  "  One  —  two 
—  four  —  seven,  false  ports." 

There  was  a  momentary  murmur  among  the  officers  all 
round.  But  British  sailors  are  undemonstrative ;  Colonel 
Kenealy,  strolling  the  deck  with  his  cigar,  saw  they 
were  Avatching  another  ship  with  maritime  curiosity,  and 
making  comments ;  but  he  discerned  no  particular  emotion 
nor  anxiety  in  what  they  said,  nor  in  the  grave,  low  tones 
they  said  it  in.    Perhaps  a  brother  seaman  would  though. 

The  next  observation  that  trickled  out  of  Fullalove's 
tube  was  this  :  "  I  judge  there  are  too  few  hands  on  deck, 
and  too  many  —  white  —  eyeballs  —  glittering  at  the  port- 
holes." 

*'  Confound  it ! "  muttered  Bayliss,  uneasily  ;  "  how 
can  you  see  that  ?  " 


HARD  CASH.  199 

Fullalove  replied  only  by  quietly  handing  his  glass 
to  Dodd.  The  captain,  thus  appealed  to,  glued  his  eye 
to  the  tube, 

"  Well,  sir ;  see  the  false  ports,  and  the  white  eye- 
brows?" asked  Sharpe,  ironically. 

''  I  see  this  is  the  best  glass  I  ever  looked  through,* 
said  Dodd,  doggedly,  without  interrupting  his  inspection. 

'•  I  think  he  is  a  Malay  pirate,"  said  Mr.  Grey. 

Sharpe  took  him  up  very  quickly,  and,  indeed,  angrily  : 
"Xonsense.  And  if  he  is,  he  won't  venture  on  a  craft 
of  this  size."' 

**Says  the  whale  to  the  swordfish,"  suggested  Fulla- 
love, with  a  little  guttural  laugh. 

The  captain,  with  the  American  glass  at  his  eye, 
turned  half  round  to  the  man  at  the  wheel :  "  Star- 
board I " 

"  Starboard  it  is." 

*'  Steer  south  south-east." 

'•  Ay,  ay,  sir."  And  the  ship's  course  was  thus  altered 
two  points. 

This  order  lowered  Dodd  fifty  per  cent  in  Mr.  Sharpe's 
estimation.  He  held  his  tongue  as  long  as  he  could :  but 
at  last  his  surprise  and  dissatisfaction  burst  out  of  him  : 
"  Won't  that  bring  him  out  on  us  ?  " 

"  Very  likely,  sir,"  replied  Dodd. 

"  Begging  your  pardon,  captain,  would  it  not  be  wiser 
to  keep  our  course,  and  show  the  blackguard  we  don't 
fear  him  ?  " 

"  When  we  do  ?  Sharpe,  he  has  made  up  his  mind  an 
hour  ago  whether  to  lie  still,  or  bite ;  my  changing  my 
course  two  points  won't  change  his  mind,  but  it  may 
make  him  declare  it ;  and  /  must  know  what  he  does 
intend,  before  I  run  the  ship  into  the  narrows  ahead." 

"  Oh,  I  see,"  said  Sharpe,  half  convinced. 

The  alteration  in  the  Agra's  course  produced  no  move- 


200  HARD   CASH. 

ment  on  the  part  of  the  mysterious  schooner.  Sbe  lay  to 
under  the  land  still,  and  with  only  a  few  hands  on  deck, 
while  the  Agra  edged  away  from  her  and  entered  the 
straits  between  Long  Island  and  Point  Leat,  leaving 
the  schooner  about  two  miles  and  a  half  distant  to  the 
north-west. 

Ah !     The  stranger's  deck  swarms  black  with  men. 

His  sham  ports  fell  as  if  by  magic,  his  guns  grinned 
through  the  gaps  like  black  teeth  ;  his  huge  foresail  rose 
and  filled,  and  out  he  came  in  chase. 

The  breeze  was  a  kiss  from  heaven,  the  sky  a  vaulted 
sapphire,  the  sea  a  million  dimples  of  liquid,  lucid 
gold. 


HARD   CASH.  201 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Amongst  the  curiosities  of  human  reasoning  is  this  : 
one  forms  a  judgment  on  certain  statements ;  they  turn 
out  incorrect,  yet  the  judgment  sound. 

This  occurs  oftenest  when,  to  divine  what  any  known 
person  will  do  in  a  case  stated,  we  go  boldly  by  his  char- 
acter, his  habits,  or  his  interest:  for  these  are  great 
forces,  towards  which  men  gravitate  through  various  and 
even  contrary  circumstances. 

Now  women,  sitting  at  home  out  of  detail's  way,  are 
somewhat  forced,  as  well  as  naturally  inclined,  to  rely 
on  their  insight  into  character  ;  and,  by  this  broad  clew, 
often  pass  through  false  or  discolored  data  to  a  sound 
calculation. 

Thus  it  was  Mrs.  Dodd  applied  her  native  sagacity  to 
divine  why  Eichard  Hardie  declined  Julia  for  his  son's 
wife,  and  how  to  make  him  withdraw  that  dissent :  and 
the  fair  diviner  was  much  mistaken  in  detail,  but  right 
in  her  conclusion ;  for  Kichard  Hardie  was  at  that 
moment  the  unlikeliest  man  in  Barkington  to  decline 
Julia  Dodd  —  with  Hard  Cash  in  five  figures  —  for  his 
daughter-in-law. 

I  am  now  about  to  make  a  revelation  to  the  reader, 
that  will  incidentally  lead  him  to  Mrs.  Dodd's  conclu- 
sion, but  by  a  different  path. 

The  outline  she  gave  her  daughter  and  my  reader  of 
Eichard  Hardie's  cold  and  prudent  youth  was  substan- 
tially correct ;  but  something  had  occurred  since  then, 
unknown  to  her,  unknown  to  all  Barkington.  The  cent- 
uries had  blown  a  respectable  bubble. 


202  HARD  CASH. 

About  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  some  genius, 
as  unknown  as  the  inventor  of  the  lathe,  laid  the  first 
wooden  tramroad,  to  enable  a  horse  to  draw  forty-two 
hundredweight  instead  of  seventeen.  The  coal-owners 
soon  used  it  largely.  In  1738,  iron  rails  were  invented : 
but  prejudice,  stronger  than  that  metal,  kept  them  down, 
and  the  wooden  ones  in  vogue,  for  some  thirty  years. 
Then  iron  prevailed. 

Meantime,  a  much  greater  invention  had  been  creep- 
ing up  to  join  the  metal  way ;  I  mean  the  locomotive 
power  of  steam,  whose  history  is  not  needed  here. 
Enough  that  in  1804  took  place  as  promising  a  wedding 
as  civilization  ever  saw ;  for  then  an  engine  built  by 
Trevethick,  a  great  genius  frittered  for  want  of  pluck, 
drew  carriages  laden  with  ten  tons,  five  miles  an  hour  on 
a  Welsh  railway.  Next  stout  Stephenson  came  on  the 
scene,  and  insisted  on  benefiting  mankind  in  spite  of 
themselves,  and  of  shallow  legislators,  a  priori  reasoners, 
and  a  heavy  review,  whose  political  motto  was  Stemiis 
super  antiquas  vias,  which  may  be  rendered,  Better 
stand  still  on  turnpikes  than  move  on  rails. 

His  torments  and  triumph  are  history. 

Two  of  his  repartees  seem  neat :  —  1.  To  Lord  Noodle, 
or  Lord  Doodle,  which  was  it  ?  objecting  haughtily, 
"And  suppose  a  cow  should  get  in  the  way  of  your 
engine,  sir  ?  "  he  replied,  "  Why,  then  it  would  be  bad  — 
for  the  coow."  The  objector  had  overrated  the  obstruct- 
ive power  of  his  honored  parent. 

2.  To  the  a  priori  reasoners,  who  sat  in  their  studies 
and  demonstrated  with  complete  unanimity  that  un- 
cogged  wheels  would  revolve  on  a  smooth  rail,  but  leave 
the  carriage  in  statu  quo,  he  replied  by  building  an  engine 
with  Lord  Ravensworth's  noble  aid,  hooking  on  eight 
carriages,  and  rattling  off  up  an  incline.  "  Solvitur  ambu- 
lando"  quoth  Stephenson  the  stout-hearted,  to  Messrs.  A 
Priori. 


HARD  CASH.  203 

Next  a  coach  ran  on  the  Stockton  and  Darlington 
raih 

Next  the  Liverpool  and  ^Manchester  line  was  projected. 
Oh,  then  what  bitter  opposition  to  the  national  benefac- 
tors, and  the  good  of  man  I 

Awake  from  the  tomb  echoes  of  dead  Cant. 

"The  revolving  wheels  might  move  the  engine  on  a 
rail,  but  what  would  that  avail  if  they  could  not  move 
them  in  the  closet,  and  on  a  mathematical  paper  ?  Rail- 
ways would  be  bad  for  canals,  bad  for  morals,  bad  for 
highwaymen,  bad  for  roadside  inns  :  the  smoke  would 
kill  the  partridges  ('  Aha  I  thou  hast  touched  us  nearly,' 
said  the  country  gentlemen),  the  travellers  would  go 
slowly  to  their  destination,  but  swift  to  destruction." 
And  the  Heavy  Review,  whose  motto  was  '•  Stcmus  suj^er 
turnpikes,"  offered  "to  back  old  Father  Thames  against 
the  Woolwich  railway  for  any  sum."  And  Black  Will, 
who  drove  the  next  heaviest  ephemeral  in  the  island, 
told  a  schoolboy,  who  now  writes  these  pages,  "  There's 
nothing  can  ever  be  safe  at  twenty  miles  an  hour,  with- 
out 'tis  a  bird  in  the  air;"  and  confirmed  it  with  an 
oath.     Briefly,  buzz  !  buzz  !  buzz  ! 

Gray  was  crushed,  Trevethick  driven  out  of  the  country, 
stout  Steevie  thwarted,  badgered,  taunted,  and  even  in- 
sulted, and  bespattered  with  dirt,  I  might  say  Avith  dung  ; 
since  his  opponents  discharged  their  own  brains  at  him 
by  speech  and  writing.  At  last,  when  after  the  manner 
of  men  they  had  manured  their  benefactor  well,  they 
consented  to  reap  him.  Railways  prevailed  and  in- 
creased, till,  lo  and  behold !  a  prime  minister  with  a  spade 
delving  one  in  the  valley  of  the  Trent.  The  tide  turned; 
good  working  railways  from  city  to  city  became  an 
approved  investment  of  genuine  capital ;  notwithstand- 
ing the  frightful  frauds  and  extortion  to  which  the  pro- 
jectors were  exposed  in  a  parliament  which  under  a  new 


204  HARD   CASH. 

temptation  showed  itself  as  corrupt  and  greedy  as  any 
nation  or  age  can  parallel. 

When  this  sober  state  of  things  had  endured  some 
time,  there  came  a  y.ear  that  money  was  loose,  and  a 
speculative  fever  due  in  the  whirligig  of  time.  Then 
railways  bubbled.  New  ones  were  advertised,  fifty  a 
month,  and  all  went  to  a  premium.  High  and  low  scram- 
bled for  the  shares,  even  when  the  projected  line  was 
to  run  from  the  town  of  Nought  to  the  village  of  Nothing 
across  a  goose  common.  The  flame  spread,  fanned  by 
prospectus  and  advertisement,  two  mines  of  glowing  fic- 
tion, compared  with  which  the  legitimate  article  is  a  mere 
tissue  of  understatements  :  princes  sat  in  railway  tenders, 
and  clove  the  air  like  the  birds  whose  effigies  surmount 
their  armorials ;  our  stifEest  peers  relaxed  into  boards ; 
bishops  warned  their  clergy  against  avarice,  and  buttered 
Hudson  an  inch  thick  for  shares  ;  and  turned  their  little 
aprons  into  great  pockets  ;  men,  stainless  hitherto,  put 
down  their  infants,  nurses  included,  as  independent  sub- 
scribers, and  bagged  the  coupons,  capturl  tartaros :  nearly 
everything  that  had  a  name,  and  by  some  immense  for- 
tuity could  write  it,  demanded  its  part  in  the  new  and 
fathomless  source  of  wealth :  a  charwoman's  two  sons 
•were  living  in  a  garret  on  fifteen  shillings  apiece  per 
week ;  down  went  their  excellencies'  names  for  thirty- 
seven  thousand  pounds  worth  of  bubbling  iron ;  another 
shareholder  applied  imperiously  from  a  house  in  Grosve- 
nor  Square ;  he  had  breakfasted  on  the  steps.  Once 
more,  in  Time's  whirligig,  gentlemen  and  their  footmen 
jostled  one  another  on  the  Exchange,  and  a  motley  crew 
of  peers  and  printers,  vicars  and  admirals,  professors, 
cooks,  costermongers,  cotton-spinners,  waiters,  coachmen, 
priests,  potboys,  bankers,  braziers,  dairymen,  mail-guards, 
barristers,  spinsters,  butchers,  beggars,  duchesses,  rag- 
merchants  —  in  one  word,  of  nobs  and  snobs  —  fought  and 


HARD   CASH.  205 

scrambled  pellraell  for  the  popular  paper ;  and  all  to  get 
rich  in  a  day.^ 

Eichard  Hardie  had  some  money  in  existing  railways ; 
but  he  declined  to  invest  his  hard  cash  upon  hypotheti- 
cals.  He  was  repeatedly  solicited  to  be  a  director;  but 
always  declined.  Once  he  was  offered  a  canny  bribe  of 
a  thousand  pounds  to  let  his  name  go  on  a  provisional 
committee.  He  refused  with  a  characteristic  remark  : 
"  I  never  buy  any  merchandise  at  a  fancy  price,  not  even 
hard  cash." 

Antidote  to  the  universal  mania,  Barkington  had  this 
one  wet  blanket :  an  unpopular  institution  ;  but  far  more 
salutary  than  a  damp  sheet,  especially  in  time  of  bubble. 

Nearly  all  his  customers  consulted  Eichard  Hardie, 
and  this  was  the  substance  of  his  replies :  "  The  bubbles 
of  history,  including  the  great  one  of  my  youth,  were 
national,  as  well  as  individual,  follies.  It  is  not  so  now  : 
the  railways,  that  ruin  their  allottees  and  directors,  will 
be  pure  additions  to  the  national  property,  and  some  day 
remove  one  barrier  more  from  commerce.  The  Dutch 
tulip  frenzy  went  on  a  petty  fancy :  the  railway  fury  goes 
on  a  great  fact.  Our  predecessors  blew  mere  soap  bub- 
bles ;  w^e  blow  an  iron  bubble  :  but  here  the  distinction 
ends ;  in  1825  the  country  undertook  immediate  engage- 
ments, to  fulfil  which  a  century's  income  would  not  have 
sufficed:  to-day  a  thousand  railway  companies  are  regis- 
tered, requiring  a  capital  of  six  hundred  millions,  and 
another  thousand  projected,  to  cost  another  five  hundred 
millions.  Where  is  the  money  to  come  from  ?  If  the 
world  was  both  cultivated  and  civilized  (instead  of 
neither),  and  this  nation  could  be  sold,  with  every  build- 
ing, ship,  quadruped,  jewel,  and  marketable  female  in  it, 
it  would  not  fetch  the  money  to  make  these  railways ; 

^  For  the  humors  of  the  time  see  the  parliamentary  return  of  Railway 
Subscribers,  published  1846 :  Francis's  British  Railway :  Kvaus's  Commerciail 
Crisis :  aud  the  pamphlets  and  journals  of  the  day. 


206  HARD   CASH. 

j-et  the  country  undertakes  to  create  them  in  three  years 
ivith  its  floating  capital.  Arithmetic  of  Bedlam !  The 
thing  cannot  last  a  year  without  collapsing."  Richard 
Hardie  talked  like  this  from  first  to  last.  But,  when  he 
saw  that  shares  invariably  mounted ;  that  even  those  who, 
for  want  of  interest,  had  to  buy  them  at  a  premium,  sold 
them  at  a  profit ;  Avhen  he  saw  paupers  making  large 
fortunes  in  a  few  months,  by  buying  into  every  venture 
and  selling  the  next  week ;  he  itched  for  his  share  of  the 
booty,  and  determined  to  profit  in  act  by  the  credulity 
of  mankind,  as  well  as  expose  it  in  words.  He  made 
use  of  his  large  connections  to  purchase  shares  ;  which 
he  took  care  to  part  with  speedily ;  he  cleared  a  good 
deal  of  money,  and  that  made  him  hungrier:  he  went 
deeper  and  deeper  into  what  he  called  Flat  catching,  till 
one  day  he  stood  to  win  thirty  thousand  pounds  at  a 
coup. 

But  it  is  dangerous  to  be  a  convert,  real  or  false,  to 
bubble  :  the  game  is  to  be  rash  at  once,  and  turn  prudent 
at  the  full  tide.  When  Richard  Hardie  was  up  to  his 
chin  in  these  time  bargains,  came  an  incident  not  easy 
to  foresee :  the  conductors  of  the  Times,  either  from 
patriotism,  or  long-sighted  policy,  punctured  the  bladder, 
though  they  were  making  thousands  weekly  by  the  rail- 
way advertisements.  The  time  was  so  well  chosen,  and 
the  pin  applied,  that  it  was  a  death-blow :  shares  declined 
from  that  morning,  and  the  inevitable  panic  was  advanced 
a  week  or  two.  The  more  credulous  speculators  held  on 
in  hopes  of  a  revival ;  but  Hardie,  who  knew  that  the 
collapse  had  been  merely  hastened,  saw  the  gravity  of 
the  situation,  and  sold  largely  at  a  heavy  loss.  But  he 
could  not  sell  all  the  bad  paper  he  had  accumulated  for 
a  temporary  purpose  :  the  panic  came  too  swiftly,  and  too 
strong ;  soon  tliere  were  no  buyers  at  any  price.  The 
biter  was  bit :  the  fox  who  had  said,  "  This  is  a  trap ;  I'll 


HARD   CASH.  207 

lightly  come  and  lightly  go,"  was  caught  by  the  light 
fantastic  toe. 

In  this  emergency  he  showed  high  qualities :  vast 
financial  abilitj',  great  fortitude,  and  that  sense  of 
commercial  honor  which  Mrs.  Dodd  justly  called  his 
semi-chivalrous  sentiment.  He  mustered  all  his  private 
resources  to  meet  his  engagements,  and  maintain  his 
high  position.  Then  commenced  a  long  and  steady 
struggle,  conducted  with  a  Spartan  dignity  and  self- 
command,  and  a  countenance  as  close  as  wax.  Little 
did  any  in  Barkington  guess  the  doubts  and  fears,  the 
hopes  and  despondencies,  which  agitated  and  tore  the 
heart  and  brain  that  schemed,  and  throbbed,  and  glowed, 
and  sickened  by  turns,  beneath  that  steady,  modulated 
exterior.  And  so  for  months  and  months  he  secretly 
battled  with  insolvency ;  sometimes  it  threatened  in  the 
distance,  sometimes  at  hand,  but  never  caught  him 
unawares  :  he  provided  for  each  coming  danger,  he  en- 
countered each  immediate  attack.  But  not  unscathed  in 
morals.  Just  as  matters  looked  brighter,  came  a  concen- 
tration of  liabilities  he  could  not  meet  without  emptying 
his  tills,  and  so  incurring  the  most  frightful  danger  of 
all.  He  had  provided  for  its  coming  too ;  but  a  decline, 
greater  than  he  had  reckoned  on,  in  the  value  of  his 
good  securities,  made  that  provision  inadequate.  Then 
it  was  he  committed  a  faux-jjas.  He  was  one  of  his 
own  children's  trustees,  and  the  other  two  signed  after 
him  like  machines.  He  said  to  himself,  "My  honor  is 
my  children's ;  my  position  is  worth  thousands  to  thern. 
I  have  sacrificed  a  fortune  to  preserve  it ;  it  would  be 
madness  to  recoil  now."  He  borrowed  three  thousand 
pounds  of  the  trust  mone}^,  and,  soon  after,  two  thousand 
more :  it  kept  him  above  water ;  but  the  peril  and  the 
escape  on  such  terms  left  him  gasping  inwardly. 

At  last,  when  even  his  granite  nature  was  almost  worn 


208  HARD   CASH. 

down  with  labor,  anxiety,  and  struggling  all  alone  with- 
out a  word  of  comfort  —  for  the  price  of  one  grain  of 
sympathy  would  have  been  "Destruction"  —  he  shuffled 
off  his  iron  burden,  and  breathed  again. 

One  day  he  spent  in  a  sort  of  pleasing  lethargy,  like  a 
strong  swimmer  who,  long  and  sore  buffeted  by  the 
waves,  has  reached  the  shore  at  last. 

The  next  day  his  cashier,  a  sharp-visaged,  bald-headed 
old  man  called  young  Skinner,  invited  his  attention  rather 
significantly  to  the  high  amount  of  certain  balances  com- 
pared with  the  cash  at  his  (Skinner's)  disposal. 

"  Indeed  ! "  said  Hardie,  quietly  ;  "  that  must  be  regu- 
lated." He  added  graciously,  as  if  conferring  a  great 
favor,  "I'll  look  into  the  books  myself,  Skinner." 

He  did  more :  he  sat  up  all  night  over  the  books ;  and 
his  heart  died  within  him.  Bankruptcy  seemed  coming 
towards  him,  slow,  perhaps,  but  sure.  And  meantime  to 
live  with  the  sword  hanging  over  him  by  a  hair  ! 

Soon  matters  approached  a  crisis ;  several  large  drafts 
were  drawn,  which  would  have  cleaned  the  bank  out,  but 
that  the  yearly  rents  of  a  wealthy  nobleman  had  for 
some  days  past  been  flowing  in.  This  nobleman  had 
gone  to  explore  Syria  and  Assyria.  He  was  a  great 
traveller,  who  contrived  to  live  up  to  his  income  at 
home,  but  had  never  been  able  to  spend  a  quarter  of  it 
abroad,  for  want  of  enemies  and  masters  —  better  known 
as  friends  and  servants  —  to  help  him.  So  Hardie  was 
safe  for  some  months,  unless  there  should  be  an  extraor- 
dinary run  on  him,  and  that  was  not  likely  this  year; 
the  panic  had  subsided,  and,  nota  bene,  his  credit  had 
never  stood  higher.  The  reason  was,  he  had  been  double- 
faced  ;  had  always  spoken  against  railways :  and  his 
wise  words  were  public,  whereas  his  fatal  acts  had  been 
done  in  the  dark. 

But  now  came  a  change,  a  bitter  revulsion,  over  this 


HARD   CASH.  209 

tossed  mind :  hope  and  patience  failed  at  last,  and  his 
virtue,  being  a  thing  of  habit  and  traditions,  rather  than 
of  the  soul,  wore  out;  nay,  more,  this  man,  who  had 
sacrificed  so  nobly  to  commercial  integrity,  filled  with 
hate  of  his  idol,  and  contempt  of  himself.  "  Idiot ! " 
said  he,  "  to  throw  away  a  fortune  fighting  for  honor,  — 
a  greater  bubble  than  that  which  has  ruined  me  —  instead 
of  breaking  like  a  man,  with  a  hidden  purse,  and  start- 
ing fair  again  as  sensible  traders  do." 

No  honest  man  in  the  country  that  year  repented  of 
his  vices  so  sincerely  as  Eichard  Hardie  loathed  his 
virtue.  And  he  did  not  confine  his  penitence  to  senti- 
ment ;  he  began  to  spend  his  days  at  the  bank  poring 
over  the  books,  and  to  lay  out  his  arithmetical  genius  in 
a  subtle  process,  that  should  enable  him  by  degrees  to 
withdraw  a  few  thousands  from  human  eyes  for  his 
future  use,  despite  the  feeble  safeguards  of  the  existing 
law.  In  other  words,  Richard  Hardie,  like  thousands 
before  him,  was  fabricating  and  maturing  a  false  balance- 
sheet. 

One  man  in  his  time  plays  many  animals.  Hardie  at 
this  period  turned  mole.  He  burrowed  darkling  into 
ces  alienum..  There  is  often  one  of  these  sleek  miners 
in  a  bank :  it  is  a  section  of  human  zoology  the  journals 
have  lately  enlarged  on,  and  drawn  the  pains-taking 
creature  grubbing  and  mining  away  brief  opulence  ;  and 
briefer  penal  servitude  than  one  could  wish.  I  rely 
on  my  reader  having  read  these  really  able  sketches  of 
my  contemporaries ;  and  spare  him  minute  details  that 
possess  scarcely  a  new  feature,  except  one :  in  that  bank 
was  not  only  a  mole  ;  but  a  mole-catcher :  and  contrary 
to  custom,  the  mole  was  the  master,  the  mole-catcher  the 
servant.  The  latter  had  no  hostile  views ;  far  from  it ; 
he  was  rather  attached  to  his  master :  but  his  attention 
was  roused  by  the  youngest  clerk,  a  boy  of  sixteen, 
14 


210  ^HARD  CASH. 

being  so  often  sent  for  into  the  bank  parlor,  to  copy  into 
the  books  some  arithmetical  result,  without  its  process. 
Attention  soon  became  suspicion ;  and  suspicion  found 
many  little  things  to  feed  on,  till  it  grew  to  certainty. 
But  the  outer  world  was  none  the  wiser :  the  mole-catcher 
was  no  chatterbox ;  he  was  a  solitary  man ;  no  wife  nor 
mistress  about  him  ;  and  he  revered  the  mole,  and  liked 
him  better  than  anything  in  the  world  —  except  money. 

Thus  the  great  banker  stood,  a  colossus  of  wealth  and 
stability  to  the  eye,  though  ready  to  crumble  at  a  touch ; 
and  indeed  self-doomed ;  for  bankruptcy  was  now  his 
game. 

This  was  a  miserable  man ;  far  more  miserable  than 
his  son  whose  happiness  he  had  thwarted :  his  face  was 
furrowed,  and  his  hair  thinned  by  secret  struggle :  and 
of  all  the  things  that  gnawed  him,  like  the  fox,  beneath 
his  Spartan  robe,  none  was  more  bitter  than  to  have 
borrowed  five  thousand  pounds  of  his  children,  and 
sunk  it. 

His  wife's  father,  a  keen  man  of  business,  who  saw  there 
was  little  affection  on  his  side,  had  settled  his  daughter's 
money  on  her  for  life,  and,  in  case  of  her  death,  on  the 
children  upon  coming  of  age.  The  marriage  of  Alfred 
or  Jane  would  be  sure  to  expose  him  ;  settlements  would 
be  proposed ;  lawyers  engaged  to  peer  into  the  trust,  etc. 
No  they  must  remain  single  for  the  present,  or  else 
marry  wealth. 

So,  when  his  son  announced  an  attachment  to  a  young 
lady  living  in  a  suburban  villa,  it  was  a  terrible  blow, 
though  he  took  it  with  outward  calm,  as  usual.  But  if, 
instead  of  prating  about  beauty,  virtue,  and  breeding, 
Alfred  had  told  him  hard  cash  in  five  figures  could  be 
settled  by  the  bride's  family  on  the  young  couple,  he 
would  have  welcomed  the  wedding  with  great  external 
indifference,  but  a  secret  gush  of  joy ;  for  then  he  could 


HARD   CASH,  211 

throw  himself  on  Alfred's  generosity,  and  be  released 
from  that  one  corroding  debt ;  perhaps  allowed  to  go  on 
drawing  the  interest  of  the  remainder. 

Thus,  in  reality,  all  the  interests,  with  which  this 
stor}'  deals,  converged  towards  one  point :  the  fourteen 
thousand  pounds.  Richard  Hardie's  opposition  was  a 
mere  misunderstanding ;  and,  if  he  had  been  told  of  the 
cash,  and  to  what  purpose  Mrs.  Dodd  destined  it,  and 
then  put  on  board  the  Agra  in  the  Straits  of  Gasper,  he 
would  have  calmly  taken  off  his  coat,  and  helped  to 
defend  the  bearer  of  it  against  all  assailants  as  stoutly, 
and,  to  all  appearance,  imperturbably,  as  he  had  fought 
that  other  bitter  battle  at  home.  For  there  was  some- 
thing heroic  in  this  erring  man,  though  his  rectitude 
depended  on  circumstances. 


212  HARD   CASH. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  way  the  pirate  dropped  the  mask,  showed  his 
black  teeth,  and  bore  up  in  chase,  was  terrible :  so 
dilates  and  bounds  the  sudden  tiger  on  his  unwary  prey. 
There  were  stout  hearts  among  the  officers  of  the  peace- 
able Agra ;  but  danger  in  a  new  form  shakes  the  brave ; 
and  this  was  their  first  pirate  :  their  dismay  broke  out  in 
ejaculations  not  loud  but  deep.  "  Hush ! "  said  Dodd, 
doggedly  ;  "  the  lady  ! " 

Mrs.  Beresford  had  just  come  on  deck  to  enjoy  the 
balmy  morning. 

"  Sharpe,"  said  Dodd,  in  a  tone  that  conveyed  no  sus- 
picion to  the  new-comer,  "  set  the  royals,  and  flying  jib. 
Port ! " 

"  Port  it  is,"  cried  the  man  at  the  helm. 

'*  Steer  due  south ! "  And,  with  these  words  in  his 
mouth,  Dodd  dived  to  the  gun-deck. 

By  this  time  elastic  Sharpe  had  recovered  the  first 
shock  ;  and  the  order  to  crowd  sail  on  the  ship  galled  his 
pride  and  his  manhood ;  he  muttered,  indignantly,  "  The 
white  feather ! "  This  eased  his  mind,  and  he  obeyed 
orders  briskly  as  ever.  While  he  and  his  hands  were 
setting  every  rag  the  ship  could  carry  on  that  tack,  the 
other  officers,  having  unluckily  no  orders  to  execute, 
stood  gloomy  and  helpless,  with  their  eyes  glued  by  a 
sort  of  sombre  fascination,  on  that  coming  fate :  and  they 
literally  jumped  and  jarred,  when  Mrs.  Beresford,  her 
heart  opened  by  tlie  lovely  day,  broke  in  on  their  nerves 
with  her  light  treble. 

"  What   a   sweet   morning,  gentlemen !      After  all,  a 


HAUD   CASH.  213 

voyage  is  a  delightful  thing ;  oh,  what  a  splendid  sea  ! 
and  the  very  breeze  is  -warm.  Ah  I  and  there's  a  little 
ship  sailing  along :  here,  Freddy,  Freddy  darling,  leave 
off  beating  the  sailor's  legs,  and  come  here  and  see  this 
pretty  ship.  What  a  pity  it  is  so  far  off !  Ah,  ah ! 
what  is  that  dreadful  noise  ?" 

For  her  horrible  small  talk,  that  grated  on  those  anx- 
ious souls  like  the  mockery  of  some  infantine  fiend,  was 
cut  short  by  ponderous  blows  and  tremendous  smashing 
below.  It  was  the  captain  staving  in  water-casks :  the 
water  poured  out  at  the  scuppers. 

"Clearing  the  lee  guns,"  said  a  middy,  off  his  guard. 

Colonel  Keuealy  pricked  up  his  ears,  drew  his  cigar 
from  his  mouth,  and  smelt  powder.  "What,  for  action  ?  " 
said  he  briskly.     "  Where's  the  enemy  ?  " 

Fullalove  made  him  a  signal,  and  they  went  below. 

Mrs.  Beresford  had  not  heard,  or  not  appreciated,  the 
remark  :  she  prattled  on  till  she  made  the  mates  and 
midshipmen  shudder. 

Realize  the  situation,  and  the  strange  incongruity 
between  the  senses  and  the  mind  in  these  poor  fel- 
lows !  The  day  had  ripened  its  beauty ;  beneath  a  purple 
heaven  shone,  sparkled,  and  laughed  a  blue  sea,  in 
whose  waves  the  tropical  sun  seemed  to  have  fused 
his  beams  ;  and  beneath  that  fair,  sinless,  peaceful  sky, 
wafted  by  a  balmy  breeze  over  those  smiling,  transparent 
golden  waves,  a  bloodthirsty  pirate  bore  down  on  them 
with  a  crew  of  human  tigers  ;  and  a  lady  babble  babble 
babble  babble  babble  babble  babbled  in  their  quivering 
ears. 

But  now  the  captain  came  bustling  on  deck,  eyed 
the  loftier  sails,  saw  they  were  drawing  well,  appointed 
four  midshipmen  a  staff  to  convey  his  orders ;  gave 
Bayliss  charge  of  the  carronades,  Grey  of  the  cutlasses, 
and  directed  Mr.  Tickell  to  break  the  bad  news  gently  to 


214  HAKD  CASH. 

Mrs.  Beresford,  and  to  take  her  below  to  the  orlop  deck ; 
ordered  the  purser  to  serve  out  beef,  biscuit,  and  grog 
to  all  hands,  saying,  "Men  can't  work  on  an  empty 
stomach  ;  and  fighting  is  hard  work ;  "  then  beckoned 
the  officers  to  come  round  him.  "  Gentlemen,"  said  he 
confidentially,  "  in  crowding  sail  on  this  ship  I  had  no 
hope  of  escaping  that  fellow  on  this  tack,  but  I  was,  and 
am,  most  anxious  to  gain  the  open  sea,  where  I  can 
square  my  yards  and  run  for  it,  if  I  see  a  chance.  At 
present  I  shall  carry  on  till  he  comes  up  within  range  ; 
and  then,  to  keep  the  company's  canvas  from  being  shot 
to  rags,  I  shall  shorten  sail ;  and  to  save  ship  and  cargo 
and  all  our  lives,  I  shall  fight  while  a  plank  of  her 
swims.  Better  be  killed  in  hot  blood  than  walk  the 
plank  in  cold." 

The  officers  cheered  faintly ;  the  captain's  dogged 
resolution  stirred  up  theirs. 

The  pirate  had  gained  another  quarter  of  a  mile  and 
more.  The  ship's  crew  were  hard  at  their  beef  and 
grog,  and  agreed  among  themselves  it  was  a  comfortable 
ship ;  they  guessed  what  was  coming,  and  woe  to  the 
ship  in  that  hour  if  the  captain  had  not  won  their 
respect.  Strange  to  say,  there  were  two  gentlemen  in 
the  Agra  to  whom  the  pirate's  approach  was  not  alto- 
gether unwelcome.  Colonel  Kenealy  and  Mr.  Fullalove 
were  rival  sportsmen  and  rival  theorists.  Kenealy  stood 
out  for  a  smooth  bore,  and  a  four-ounce  ball :  Fullalove 
for  a  rifle  of  his  own  construction.  Many  a  doughty 
argument  they  had,  and  many  a  bragging  match  ;  neither 
could  convert  the  other.  At  last  Fullalove  hinted  that 
by  going  ashore  at  the  Cape,  and  getting  each  behind  a 
tree  at  one  hundred  yards,  and  popping  at  one  another, 
one  or  other  would  be  convinced. 

"  Well,  but,"  said  Kenealy,  "  if  he  is  dead,  he  will  be 
no  wiser;  besideS;  to  a  fellow  like  me,  who  has  had  the 


HARD   CASH.  215 

luxury  of  popping  at  his  enemies,  popping  at  a  friend  is 
.poor  insipid  work." 

"  That  is  true,"  said  the  other  regretfully.  "  But  I 
reckon  we  shall  never  settle  it  by  argument." 

Theorists  are  amazing ;  and  it  was  plain,  by  the  alac- 
rity Avith  which  these  good  creatures  loaded  the  rival 
instruments,  that  to  them  the  pirate  came  not  so  much 
a  pirate  as  a  solution.  Indeed,  Kenealy,  in  the  act  of 
charging  his  piece,  was  heard  to  mutter,  "  Now  this  is 
lucky."  However,  these  theorists  were  no  sooner  loaded, 
than  something  occurred  to  make  them  more  serious. 
They  were  sent  for  in  haste  to  Dodd's  cabin :  they 
found  him  giving  Sharpe  a  new  order. 

"  Shorten  sail  to  the  taupsles  and  jib,  get  the  colors 
ready  on  the  halliards,  and  then  send  the  men  aft." 

Sharpe  ran  out  full  of  zeal,  and  tumbled  over  Ramgo- 
1am,  who  was  stooping  remarkably  near  the  keyhole. 
Dodd  hastily  bolted  the  cabin-door,  and  looked  with 
trembling  lip  and  piteous  earnestness  in  Kenealy's  face 
and  Fullalove's.  They  were  mute  with  surprise  at  a 
gaze  so  eloquent  yet  mysterious. 

He  manned  himself,  and  opened  his  mind  to  them 
Avith  deep  emotion,  yet  not  without  a  certain  simple 
dignity. 

"  Colonel,"  said  he,  "  you  are  an  old  friend ;  you,  sir, 
are  a  new  one ;  but  I  esteem  you  highly,  and  what  my 
young  gentlemen  chaff  you  about,  you  calling  all  men 
brothers,  and  making  that  poor  negro  love  you,  instead 
of  fear  you,  that  shows  me  you  have  a  great  heart.  My 
dear  friends,  I  have  been  unlucky  enough  to  bring  my 
children's  fortune  on  board  this  ship :  here  it  is,  under 
my  shirt.  Fourteen  thousand  pounds.  This  weighs  me 
down.  Oh,  if  they  should  lose  it  after  all !  Do  pray 
give  me  a  hand  apiece,  and  pledge  your  sacred  words  to 
take  it  home  safe  to  my  wife  at  Barkington,  if  you,  or 


216  HARD  CASH. 

either  of  you,  should  see  this  bright  sun  set  to-day,  and  I 
should  not." 

"Why,  Dodd,  old  fellow,"  said  Kenealy  cheerfully, 
"  this  is  not  the  way  to  go  into  action." 

"  Colonel,"  replied  Dodd,  "  to  save  this  ship  and  cargo 
I  must  be  wherever  the  bullets  are,  and  I  will,  too." 

Fullalove,  more  sagacious  than  the  worthy  colonel, 
said  earnestly,  "  Captain  Dodd,  may  I  never  see  Broad- 
way again,  and  never  see  heaven  at  the  end  of  my  time, 
if  I  fail  you.     There's  my  hand." 

"And  mine,"  said  Kenealy  warmly. 

They  all  three  joined  hands,  and  Dodd  seemed  to 
cling  to  them. 

"  God  bless  you  both  !  God  bless  you !  Oh,  what  a 
weight  your  true  hands  have  pulled  off  my  heart ! 
Good-by  for  a  few  minutes.  The  time  is  short.  I'll 
just  offer  a  prayer  to  the  Almighty  for  wisdom,  and  then 
I'll  come  up  and  say  a  word  to  the  men,  and  fight  the 
ship,  according  to  my  lights." 

Sail  was  no  sooner  shortened,  and  the  crew  ranged, 
than  the  captain  came  briskly  on  deck,  saluted,  jumped 
on  a  carrouade,  and  stood  erect.  He  was  not  the  man 
to  show  the  crew  his  forebodings. 

(Pipe.)     "  Silence  fore  and  aft." 

"  My  men,  the  schooner  coming  up  on  our  weather 
quarter  is  a  Portuguese  pirate.  His  character  is  known: 
he  scuttles  all  the  ships  he  boards,  dishonors  the  women, 
and  murders  the  crew.  We  cracked  on  to  get  out  of  the 
narrows,  and  now  we  have  shortened  sail  to  fight  this 
blackguard,  and  teach  him  to  molest  a  British  ship.  I 
promise,  in  the  Company's  name,  twenty  pounds  prize 
money  to  every  man  before  the  mast  if  we  beat  him  off 
or  out-manoeuvre  him,  thirty  if  we  sink  him,  and  forty 
if  we  tow  him  astern  into  a  friendly  port.  Eight  guns 
are  clear  below,  three  on  the  weather  side,  five  on  the 


HARD   CASH.  217 

lee  ;  for,  if  he  knows  his  business,  he  will  come  up  on 
the  lee  quarter :  if  he  doesn't,  that  is  no  fault  of  yours 
nor  mine.  The  muskets  are  all  loaded,  the  cutlasses 
ground  like  razors  "  — 

"  Hurrah ! " 

"We  have  got  women  to  defend"  — 

''  Hurrah ! " 

"  A  good  ship  under  our  feet,  the  God  of  justice  over- 
head, British  hearts  in  our  bosoms,  and  British  colors 
flying  —  run  'em  up  —  over  our  heads.  (The  ship's 
colors  flew  up  to  the  fore,  and  the  Union  Jack  to  the 
mizzen-peak.)  Xow,  lads,  I  mean  to  fight  this  ship 
while  a  plank  of  her  (stamping  on  the  deck)  swims 
beneath  my  foot,  and  —     What  do  you  say  ?  " 

The  reply  was  a  fierce  "  Hurrah  ! "  from  a  hundred 
throats,  so  loud,  so  deep,  so  full  of  volume,  it  made  the 
ship  vibrate,  and  rang  in  the  creeping-on  pirate's  ears. 
Fierce,  but  cunning,  he  saw  mischief  in  those  shortened 
sails,  and  that  Union  Jack,  the  terror  of  his  tribe,  rising 
to  a  British  cheer :  he  lowered  his  mainsail,  and  crawled 
up  on  the  weather  quarter.  Arrived  within  a  cable's 
length,  he  double-reefed  his  foresail  to  reduce  his  rate 
of  sailing  nearly  to  that  of  the  ship ;  and  the  next 
moment  a  tongue  of  flame,  and  then  a  gush  of  smoke, 
issued  from  his  lee  bow,  and  the  ball  flew  screaming 
like  a  sea-gull  over  the  Agra's  mizzen-top.  He  then  put 
his  helm  up,  and  fired  his  other  bow-chaser,  and  sent  the 
shot  hissing  and  skipping  on  the  water  past  the  ship. 
This  prologue  made  the  novices  wince.  Bayliss  wanted 
to  reply  with  a  carronade,  but  Dodd  forbade  him  sternly, 
saying,  "  If  we  keep  him  aloof  we  are  done  for." 

The  pirate  drew  nearer,  and  fired  both  guns  in  suc- 
cession, hulled  the  Agra  amidships,  and  sent  an  eighteen- 
pound  ball  through  her  foresail.  Most  of  the  faces  were 
pale  on  the  quarter-deck :  it  was  very  trying  to  be  shot 


218  HARD   CASH. 

at,  and  hit,  and  make  no  return.  The  next  double 
discharge  sent  one  shot  smash  through  the  stern  cabin- 
window,  and  splintered  the  bulwark  with  another,  wound- 
ing a  seaman  slightly. 

''  Lie  dowx  forward  !  "  shouted  Dodd.  "  Bayliss, 
give  him  a  shot." 

The  carronade  was  fired  with  a  tremendous  report,  but 
no  visible  effect.  The  pirate  crept  nearer,  steering  in 
and  out  like  a  snake  to  avoid  the  carronades,  and  firing 
those  two  heavy  guns  alternately  into  the  devoted  ship. 
He  hulled  the  Agra  now  nearly  every  shot. 

The  two  available  carronades  replied  noisily,  and 
jumped  as  usual:  they  sent  one  thirty-two-pound  shot 
clean  through  the  schooner's  deck  and  side,  but  that  was 
literally  all  they  did  worth  speaking  of. 

"  Curse  them  !  "  cried  Dodd  ;  "  load  them  with  grape  I 
they  are  not  to  be  trusted  with  ball.  And  all  my  eigh- 
teen-pounders  dumb !  The  coward  won't  come  alongside 
and  give  them  a  chance." 

At  the  next  discharge  the  pirate  chipped  the  mizzen- 
niast,  and  knocked  a  sailor  into  dead  pieces  on  the  fore- 
castle. Dodd  put  his  helm  down  ere  the  smoke  cleared, 
and  got  three  carronades  to  bear,  heavily  laden  with 
grape.  Several  pirates  fell,  dead  or  wounded,  on  the 
crowded  deck,  and  some  holes  appeared  in  the  foresail ; 
this  one  interchange  was  quite  in  favor  of  the  ship. 

But  the  lesson  made  the  enemy  more  cautious  :  he 
crept  nearer,  but  steered  so  adroitly,  now  right  astern, 
now  on  the  quarter,  that  the  ship  could  seldom  bring 
more  than  one  carronade  to  bear,  while  he  raked  her 
fore  and  aft  with  grape  and  ball. 

In  this  alarming  situation  Dodd  kept  as  many  of  the 
men  below  as  possible ;  but,  for  all  he  could  do,  four 
were  killed  and  seven  wounded. 

Fullalove's  word  came  too  true :  it  was  the  sword-fisb 


HARD  CASH.  219 

and  the  whale :  it  was  a  fight  of  hammer  and  anvil ; 
one  hit,  the  other  made  a  noise.  Cautious  and  cruel, 
the  pirate  hung  on  the  poor  hulking  creature's  quarters, 
and  raked  her  at  point-blank  distance.  He  made  her 
pass  a  bitter  time.  And  her  captain  !  To  see  the  splin- 
tering hull,  the  parting  shrouds,  the  shivered  gear,  and 
hear  the  shrieks  and  groans  of  his  wounded,  and  he 
unable  to  reply  in  kind  !  The  sweat  of  agony  poured 
down  his  face.  Oh,  if  he  could  but  reach  the  open  sea, 
and  square  his  yards,  and  make  a  long  chase  of  it ;  per- 
haps fall  in  with  aid.  Wincing  under  each  heavy  blow, 
he  crept  doggedly,  patiently,  on,  towards  that  one 
visible  hope. 

At  last,  when  the  ship  was  cloved  with  shot,  and  pep- 
pered with  grape,  the  channel  opened ;  in  five  minutes 
more  he  could  put  her  dead  before  the  wind. 

Ko.  The  pirate,  on  whose  side  luck  had  been  from 
the  first,  got  half  a  broadside  to  bear  at  long  musket 
shot,  killed  a  midshipman  by  Dodd's  side,  cut  away  two 
of  the  Agra's  mizzen  shrouds,  Avounded  the  gaff,  and  cut 
the  jib-stay  :  down  fell  that  powerful  sail  into  the  water, 
and  dragged  across  the  ship's  forefoot,  stopping  her  way 
to  the  open  sea  she  panted  for.  The  mates  groaned  :  the 
crew  cheered  stoutly,  as  British  tars  do  in  any  great 
disaster.  The  pirates  yelled  with  ferocious  triumph, 
like  the  devils  they  looked. 

But  most  human  events,  even  calamities,  have  two 
sides.  The  Agra  being  brought  almost  to  a  standstill, 
the  pirate  forged  ahead  against  his  will,  and  the  combat 
took  a  new  and  terrible  form.  The  elephant  gun  popped, 
and  the  rifle  cracked,  in  the  Agra's  mizzen-top,  and  the 
man  at  the  pirate's  helm  jumped  into  the  air  and  fell 
dead;  both  theorists  claimed  him.  Then  the  three  car- 
ronades  peppered  him  hotly,  and  he  hurled  an  iron  shower 
back  with  fatal  effect.     Then  at  last  the  long  eighteen- 


220  HARD  CASH. 

I)ounders  on  the  gun-deck  got  a  word  in.  The  old  Nilei 
was  not  the  man  to  miss  a  vessel  alongside  in  a  quiet 
sea  :  he  sent  two  round  shot  clean  through  him ;  the 
third  splintered  his  bulwark,  and  swept  across  his  deck. 

"  His  masts  !  fire  at  his  masts  ! "  roared  Dodd  to  Monk 
through  his  trumpet ;  he  then  got  the  jib  clear,  and  made 
what  sail  he  could  without  taking  all  the  hands  from  the 
guns. 

This  kept  the  vessels  nearly  alongside  a  few  minutes, 
and  the  fight  was  hot  as  fire.  The  pirate  now  for  the 
first  time  hoisted  his  flag.  It  was  black  as  ink.  His 
crew  yelled  as  it  rose  :  the  Britons,  instead  of  quail- 
ing, cheered  with  fierce  derision  ;  the  pirate's  wild  crew 
of  yellow  Malays,  black  chinless  Papuans,  and  bronzed 
Portuguese,  served  their  side  guns,  twelve-pounders,  well 
and  with  ferocious  cries  ;  the  white  Britons,  drunk  with 
battle  now,  naked  to  the  waist,  grimed  with  powder,  and 
spotted  like  leopards  with  blood,  their  own  and  their 
mates',  replied  with  loud  undaunted  cheers,  and  deadly 
hail  of  grape  from  the  quarter-deck  ;  while  the  master- 
gunner  and  his  mates,  loading  with  a  rapidity  the  mixed 
races  opposed  could  not  rival,  hulled  the  schooner  well 
between  wind  and  water,  and  then  fired  chain  shot  at  her 
masts,  as  ordered,  and  began  to  play  the  mischief  with 
her  shrouds  and  rigging.  Meantime,  Fullalove  and 
Kenealy,  aided  by  Vespasian,  who  loaded,  were  quietly 
butchering  the  pirate  crew  two  a  minute,  and  hoped  to 
settle  the  question  they  were  fighting  for ;  smooth  bore 
V.  rifle  :  but  unluckily  neither  fired  once  without  killing; 
so  "  there  was  nothing  proven." 

The  pirate,  bold  as  he  was,  got  sick  of  fair  fighting 
first ;  he  hoisted  his  mainsail  and  drew  rapidly  ahead, 
with  a  slight  bearing  to  windward,  and  dismounted  a 
carrouade  and  stove  in  the  ship's  quarter-boat,  by  way  of 
a  parting  kick. 


HARD   CASH.  221 

The  men  hurled  a  contemptuous  cheer  after  him ;  they 
thought  they  had  beaten  him  off.  But  Dodd  knew  better. 
He  was  but  retiring  a  little  way  to  make  a  more  deadly 
attack  than  ever :  he  would  soon  wear,  and  cross  the 
Agra's  defenceless  bows,  to  rake  her  fore  and  aft  at 
pistol-shot  distance  :  or  grapple,  and  board  the  enfeebled 
ship  two  hundred  strong. 

Dodd  flew  to  the  helm,  and  with  his  own  hands  put  it 
hard  a-weather,  to  give  the  deck  guns  one  more  chance, 
the  last,  of  sinking  or  disabling  the  destroyer.  As  the 
ship  obeyed,  and  a  deck  gun  bellowed  below  him,  he  saw 
a  vessel  running  out  from  Long  Island,  and  coming 
swiftly  up  on  his  lee  quarter. 

It  was  a  schooner.     Was  she  coming  to  his  aid  ? 

Horror  !     A  black  flag  floated  from  her  foremast  head. 

While  Dodd's  eyes  were  staring  almost  out  of  his  head 
at  this  death-blow  to  hope.  Monk  fired  again ;  and  just 
then  a  pale  face  came  close  to  Dodd's,  and  a  solemn  voice 

whispered   in  his  ear:    "Our  ammunition  is  nearly  done!  ■• 

Dodd  seized  Sharpe's  hand  convulsively,  and  pointed 
to  the  pirate's  consort  coming  up  to  finish  them  ;  and 
said,  with  the  calm  of  a  brave  man's  despair,  "  Cutlasses  ! 
and  die  hard  ! " 

At  that  moment  the  master-gunner  fired  his  last  gun. 
It  sent  a  chain  shot  on  board  the  retiring  pirate,  took  off 
a  Portuguese  head  and  spun  it  clean  into  the  sea  ever 
so  far  to  windward,  and  cut  the  schooner's  foremast  so 
nearly  through  that  it  trembled  and  nodded,  and  pres- 
ently snapped  with  a  loud  crack,  and  came  down  like  a 
broken  tree,  with  the  yard  and  sail ;  the  latter  overlap- 
ping the  deck  and  burying  itself,  black  flag  and  all,  in 
the  sea ;  and  there,  in  one  moment,  lay  the  destroyer 
buffeting  and  wriggling  —  like  a  heron  on  the  water  with 
his  long  wing  broken  —  an  utter  cripple. 

The  victorious  crew  raised  a  stunning  cheer. 


222  HARD  CASH. 

"  Silence  ! "  roared  Dodd,  with  his  trumpet.  "  All 
hands  make  sail ! " 

He  set  his  courses,  bent  a  new  jib,  and  stood  out  to 
windward  close  hauled,  in  hopes  to  make  a  good  offing, 
and  then  put  his  ship  dead  before  the  wind,  which  was 
now  rising  to  a  stiff  breeze.  In  doing  this,  he  crossed 
the  crippled  pirate's  bows  within  eighty  yards  :  and  sore 
was  the  temptation  to  rake  him  ;  but  his  ammunition 
being  short,  and  his  danger  being  imminent  from  the 
other  pirate,  he  had  the  self-command  to  resist  the  great 
temptation. 

He  hailed  the  mizzen-top  :  "  Can  you  two  hinder  them 
from  firing  that  gun  ?  " 

"I  rather  think  we  can,"  said  Fullalove,  "eh,  colonel?" 
and  tapped  his  long  rifle. 

The  ship  no  sooner  crossed  the  schooner's  bows  *  than 
a  Malay  ran  forward  with  a  linstock.  Pop  went  the 
colonel's  ready  carbine,  and  the  INIalay  fell  over  dead, 
and  the  linstock  flew  out  of  his  hand.  A  tall  Portuguese, 
with  a  movement  of  rage,  snatched  it  up,  and  darted  to 
the  gun :  the  Yankee  rifle  cracked,  but  a  moment  too 
late.  Bang !  went  the  pirate's  bow-chaser,  and  crashed 
into  the  Agra's  side,  and  passed  nearly  through  her. 

"  Ye  missed  him  !  ye  missed  him  ! "  cried  the  rival 
theorist,  joyfully.  He  was  mistaken  :  the  smoke  cleared, 
and  there  was  the  pirate  captain  leaning  wounded  against 
the  mainmast  with  a  Yankee  bullet  in  his  shoulder,  and 
his  crew  uttering  yells  of  dismay  and  vengeance.  They 
jumped  and  raged  and  brandished  their  knives  and  made 
horrid  gesticulations  of  revenge  ;  and  the  white  eyeballs 
of  the  Malays  and  Papuans  glittered  fiendishly  ;  and  the 
wounded  captain  raised  his  sound  arm  and  had  a  signal 
hoisted  to  his  consort,  and  she  bore  up  in  chase,  and 

»  Being  disabled,  the  schooner's  head  had  come  round  to  windward,  though 
she  wag  drifting  to  leeward. 


HARD  CASH.  223 

jamming  her  fore  latine  flat  as  a  board,  lay  far  nearer 
the  wind  than  the  Agra  could,  and  sailed  three  feet  to 
her  two,  besides.  On  this  superiority  being  made  clear, 
the  situation  of  the  merchant  Vessel,  though  not  so 
utterly  desperate  as  before  ]\ronk  fired  his  lucky  shot, 
became  pitiable  enough.  If  she  ran  before  the  \;'ind,  the 
fresh  pirate  would  cut  her  off :  if  she  lay  to  windward, 
she  might  postpone  the  inevitable  and  fatal  collision  with 
a  foe  as  strong  as  that  she  had  only  escaped  by  a  rare 
piece  of  luck  ;  but  this  would  give  the  crippled  pirate 
time  to  refit  and  unite  to  destroy  her.  Add  to  this  the 
failing  ammunition  and  the  thinned  crew. 

Dodd  cast  his  eyes  all  round  the  horizon  for  help. 

The  sea  was  blank. 

The  bright  sun  was  hidden  now ;  drops  of  rain  fell, 
and  the  wind  was  beginning  to  sing,  and  the  sea  to  rise 
a  little. 

"  Gentlemen,"  said  he,  "  let  us  kneel  down  and  pray 
for  wisdom  in  this  sore  strait." 

He  and  his  officers  kneeled  on  the  C|uarter-deck.  When 
they  rose,  Dodd  stood  rapt  about  a  minute  ;  his  great 
thoughtful  eye  saw^  no  more  the  enemy,  the  sea,  nor 
anything  external ;  it  was  turned  inward.  His  officers 
looked  at  him  in  silence. 

"  Sharpe,"  said  he,  at  last,  "  there  must  be  a  way  out 
of  them  both  with  such  a  breeze  as  this  is  now,  if  we 
could  but  see  it." 

"  Ay,  if"  groaned  Sharpe. 

Dodd  mused  again. 

"About  ship  !  "  said  he,  softly,  like  an  absent  man. 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir  ! " 

"  Steer  due  north  ! "  said  he,  still  like  one  whose  mind 
was  elsewhere. 

While  the  ship  was  coming  about,  he  gave  minute 
orders  to  the  mates  and  the  gunner,  to  insure  co-opera- 


224  HARD  CASH. 

tion  in  the  delicate  and  dangerous  manoeuvres  that  were 
sure  to  be  at  hand. 

The  wind  was  west-north-west :  he  was  standing  north : 
one  pirate  lay  on  his  lee  beam  stopping  a  leak  between 
wind  and  water,  and  hacking  the  deck  clear  of  his  broken 
mast  and  yards.  The  other  fresh,  and  thirsting  for  the 
easy  prey,  came  up  to  weather  on  him  and  hang  on  his 
quarter,  pirate  fashion. 

When  they  were  distant  about  a  cable's  length,  the 
fresh  pirate,  to  meet  the  ship's  change  of  tactics,  changed 
his  own,  luffed  up,  and  gave  the  ship  a  broadside,  well 
aimed  but  not  destructive,  the  guns  being  loaded  with 
ball. 

Dodd,  instead  of  replying  immediately,  put  his  helm 
hard  up  and  ran  under  the  pirate's  stern,  while  he  was 
jammed  up  in  the  wind,  and  with  his  five  eighteen- 
pounders  raked  him  fore  and  aft,  then  paying  off,  gave 
him  three  carronades  crammed  with  grape  and  canister; 
the  rapid  discharge  of  eight  guns  made  the  ship  tremble, 
and  enveloped  her  in  thick  smoke  ;  loud  shrieks  and 
groans  were  heard  from  the  schooner ;  the  smoke 
cleared ;  the  pirate's  mainsail  hung  on  deck,  his  jib- 
boom  was  cut  off  like  a  carrot  and  the  sail  struggling : 
his  foresail  looked  lace,  lanes  of  dead  and  wounded  lay 
still  or  writhing  on  his  deck,  and  his  lee  scuppers  ran 
blood  into  the  sea,  Dodd  squared  his  yards  and  bore 
away. 

The  ship  rushed  down  the  wind,  leaving  the  schooner 
staggered  and  all  abroad.  But  not  for  long;  the  pirate 
wore,  and  fired  his  bow-chasers  at  the  now  flying  Agra, 
split  one  of  the  carronades  in  two,  and  killed  a  Lascar, 
and  made  a  hole  in  the  foresail ;  this  done,  he  hoisted 
his  mainsail  again  in  a  trice,  sent  his  wounded  below, 
flung  his  dead  overboard,  to  the  horror  of  their  foes,  and 
came  after  the  flying  ship,  yawing  and  firing  his  bow* 


HARD   CASH.  225 

chasers.  The  ship  was  silent.  She  had  no  shot  to 
throw  away.  Not  only  did  she  take  these  blows  like 
a  coward,  but  all  signs  of  life  disappeared  on  her,  except 
two  men  at  the  wheel,  and  the  captain  on  the  main 
gangway. 

Dodd  had  ordered  the  crew  out  of  the  rigging,  armed 
them  with  cutlasses,  and  laid  them  flat  on  the  forecastle. 
He  also  compelled  Kenealy  and  Fullalove  to  come  down 
out  of  harm's  way,  no  wiser  on  the  smooth  bore  question 
than  they  went  up. 

The  great  patient  ship  ran  environed  by  her  foes  :  one 
destroyer  right  in  her  course,  another  in  her  wake,  fol- 
lowing her  with  yells  of  vengeance,  and  pounding  away 
at  her  —  but  no  reply. 

Suddenly  the  yells  of  the  pirates  on  both  sides  ceased, 
and  there  was  a  moment  of  dead  silence  on  the  sea. 

Yet  nothing  fresh  had  happened. 

Yes,  this  had  happened :  the  pirates  to  windward  and 
the  pirates  to  leeward  of  the  Agra  had  found  out,  at  one 
and  the  same  moment,  that  the  merchant  captain  they 
had  lashed  and  bullied  and  tortured,  was  a  patient  but 
tremendous  man.  It  was  not  only  to  rake  the  fresh 
schooner,  he  had».put  his  ship  before  the  wind,  but  also 
by  a  double,  daring  master-stroke  to  hurl  his  monster 
ship  bodily  on  the  other.  Without  a  foresail  she  could 
never  get  out  of  her  way.  The  pirate  crew  had  stopped 
the  leak,  and  cut  away  and  unshipped  the  broken  fore- 
mast, and  were  stepping  a  new  one,  when  they  saw  the 
huge  ship  bearing  down  in  full  sail.  Nothing  easier  than 
to  slip  out  of  her  way  could  they  get  the  foresail  to  draw  ; 
but  the  time  was  short,  the  deadly  intention  manifest, 
the  coming  destruction  swift. 

After  that  solemn  silence  came  a  storm  of  cries  and 
curses,  as  their  seamen  went  to  work  to  lit  the  yard  and 
raise  the  sail  j  while  their  lighting  men  seized  their 
15 


226  HARD   CASH. 

matchlocks  and  trained  the  guns.  They  were  ■well  com- 
maiided  by  an  heroic,  able  villain.  Astern  the  consort 
thundered  ;  but  the  Agra's  response  was  a  dead  silence 
more  awful  than  broadsides. 

For  then  was  seen  with  what  majesty  the  enduring 
Anglo-Saxon  fights. 

One  of  that  indomitable  race  on  the  gangway,  one  at 
the  foremast,  two  at  the  wheel,  conned  and  steered  the 
great  ship  down  on  a  hundred  matchlocks  and  a  grinning 
broadside,  just  as  they  would  have  conned  and  steered 
her  into  a  British  harbor. 

"  Starboard ! "  said  Dodd,  in  a  deep  calm  voice,  with 
a  motion  of  his  hand. 

"  Starboard  it  is." 

The  pirate  wriggled  ahead  a  little.  The  man  forward 
made  a  silent  signal  to  Dodd. 

"  Port ! "  said  Dodd,  quietly. 

"Port  it  is." 

But  at  this  critical  moment  the  pirate  astern  sent  a 
mischievous  shot  and  knocked  one  of  the  men  to  atoms 
at  the  helm. 

Dodd  waved  his  hand  without  a  word,  and  another  man 
rose  from  the  deck  and  took  his  place  in.  silence,  and  laid 
his  unshaking  hand  on  the  wheel  stained  with  that  man's 
warm  blood  whose  place  he  took. 

The  high  ship  was  now  scarce  sixty  yards  distant ; 
she  seemed  to  know :  she  reared  her  lofty  figure-head  with 
great  awful  shoots  into  the  air. 

But  now  the  panting  pirates  got  their  new  foresail 
hoisted  with  a  joyful  shout ;  it  drew,  the  schooner  gath- 
ered way,  and  their  furious  consort  close  on  the  Agra's 
heels  just  then  scourged  her  deck  with  grape. 

"Port  !"  said  Dodd,  calmly. 

''Port  it  is." 

The  giant  prow  darted  at  the  escaping  pirate.     That 


HARD   CASH.  227 

acre  of  coming  canvas  took  the  Avind  out  of  the  swift 
schooner's  foresail ;  it  flapped ;  oh,  then  she  was  doomed  ! 
That  awful  moment  parted  the  races  on  board  her :  the 
Papuans  and  Sooloos,  their  black  faces  livid  and  blue 
with  horror,  leaped  yelling  into  the  sea,  or  crouched  and 
whimpered ;  the  yellow  Malays  and  brown  Portuguese, 
though  blanched  to  one  color  now,  turned  on  death  like 
dying  panthers,  fired  two  cannon  slap  into  the  ship's 
bows,  and  snapped  their  muskets  and  matchlocks  at 
their  solitary  executioner  on  the  ship's  gangway,  and 
out  flew  their  knives  like  crushed  wasps'  stings.  Crash  ! 
the  Indiaman's  cutwater  in  thick  smoke  beat  in  the 
schooner's  broadside  :  down  went  her  masts  to  leeward 
like  fishing-rods  whipping  the  water ;  there  Avas  a  horri- 
ble shrieking  yell ;  wild  forms  leaped  off  on  the  Agra,  and 
were  hacked  to  pieces  almost  ere  they  reached  the  deck 
—  a  surge,  a  chasm  in  the  sea,  filled  with  an  instant  rush 
of  ingulfing  waves,  a  long,  awful,  grating,  grinding  noise 
never  to  be  forgotten  in  this  world,  all  along  under  the 
ship's  keel  —  and  the  fearful  majestic  monster  passed  on 
over  the  blank  she  had  made,  with  a  pale  crew  standing 
silent  and  awe-struck  on  her  deck  ;  a  cluster  of  wild 
heads  and  staring  eyeballs  bobbing  like  corks  in  her 
foaming  wake,  sole  relic  of  the  blotted-out  destroyer ; 
and  a  wounded  man  staggering  on  the  gangway,  with 
hands  uplifted  and  staring  eyes. 

Shot  in  two  places,  the  head  and  the  breast. 

With  a  loud  cry  of  pity  and  dismay,  Sharpe,  Fullalove, 
Kenealy,  and  others  rushed  to  catch  him ;  but,  ere  they 
got  near,  the  captain  of  the  triumphant  ship  fell  down 
on  his  hands  and  knees,  his  head  sunk  over  the  gangway, 
and  his  blood  ran  fast  and  pattered  in  the  midst  of  them, 
on  the  deck  he  had  defended  so  bravely. 


228  HARD   CASH. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

They  got  to  the  wounded  captain  and  raised  him.  He 
revived  a  little ;  and  the  moment  he  caught  sight  of  Mr. 
Sharpe  he  clutched  him,  and  cried,  "  Stunsels  ! " 

"  0  captain  ! "  said  Sharpe,  "  let  the  ship  go ;  it  is  you 
we  are  anxious  for  now." 

At  this  Dodd  lifted  up  his  hands  and  beat  the  air 
impatiently,  and  cried  again  in  the  thin,  querulous  voice 
of  a  wounded  man,  but  eagerly,  "  Stunsels  !  stunsels  ! " 

On  this  Sharpe  gave  the  command :  — 

"  Make  sail !     All  hands  set  stunsels  'low  and  aloft ! " 

While  the  unwounded  hands  swarmed  into  the  rigging, 
the  surgeon  came  aft  in  all  haste ;  but  Dodd  declined  him 
till  all  his  men  should  have  been  looked  to ;  meantime 
he  had  himself  carried  to  the  poop,  and  laid  on  a  mattress, 
his  bleeding  head  bound  tight  with  a  wet  cambric  hand- 
kerchief, and  his  pale  face  turned  towards  the  hostile 
schooner  astern.  She  had  hove  to,  and  was  picking  up 
the  survivors  of  her  blotted-out  consort.  The  group  on 
the  Agra's  quarter-deck  watched  her  to  see  what  she  would 
do  next;  flushed  with  immediate  success,  the  younger 
officers  crowed  their  fears,  she  would  not  be  game  to 
attack  them  again ;  Dodd's  fears  ran  the  other  way.  He 
said,  in  the  weak  voice  to  which  he  was  now  reduced, 
"They  are  taking  a  wet  blanket  aboard;  that  crew  of 
blackguards  we  swamped  won't  want  any  more  of  us ;  it 
all  depends  on  the  pirate  captain ;  if  he  is  not  drowned, 
then  blow  wind,  rise  sea,  or  there's  trouble  ahead  for  us." 

As   soon   as   the    schooner   had    picked   up   the    last 


IIAKD    CASH.  229 

swimmer,  she  hoisted  foresail,  mainsail,  and  jib,  with 
admirable  rapidity,  and  bore  down  in  chase. 

The  Agra  had,  meantime,  got  a  start  of  more  than  a 
mile,  and  was  now  running  before  a  stiff  breeze  with 
studding  sails  alow  and  aloft. 

In  an  hour  the  vessels  ran  nearly  twelve  miles,  and 
the  pirate  had  gained  half  a  mile. 

At  the  end  of  the  next  hour  they  were  out  of  sight  of 
land ;  wind  and  sea  rising,  and  the  pirate  only  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  astern. 

The  schooner  was  now  rising  and  falling  on  the  waves ; 
the  ship  only  nodding,  and  firm  as  a  rock. 

"  Blow  wind,  rise  sea !  "  faltered  Dodd. 

Another  half-hour  passed  without  perceptibly  altering 
the  position  of  the  vessels.  Then  suddenly  the  wounded 
captain  laid  aside  his  glass,  after  a  long  examination,  and 
rose  unaided  to  his  feet  in  great  excitement,  and  found 
his  manly  voice  for  a  moment ;  he  shook  his  fist  at  the 
now  pitching  schooner,  and  roared,  "  Good-by,  ye  Portu- 
guese lubber  I  out-fought  —  out-manceuvred  —  axd  out- 
sailed ! " 

It  was  a  burst  of  exultation  rare  for  him ;  he  paid  for 
it  by  sinking  faint  and  helpless  into  his  friend's  arms; 
and  the  surgeon,  returning  soon  after,  insisted  on  his 
being  taken  to  his  cabin,  and  kept  quite  quiet. 

As  they  were  carrying  him  below,  the  pirate  captain 
made  the  same  discovery ;  that  the  ship  was  gaining  on 
him.  He  hauled  to  the  wind  directly,  and  abandoned 
the  chase. 

When  the  now  receding  pirate  was  nearly  hull  down, 
the  sun  began  to  set.  Mr.  Tickell  looked  at  him,  and 
said,  "  Hallo,  old  fellow  !  Avhat  are  you  about  ?  Why,  it 
isn't  two  o'clock." 

The  remark  was  quite  honest.  He  really  feared  for  a 
moment  that  orb  was  mistaken,  and  would  get  himself, 


230  HARD  CASH. 

and  others,  into  trouble.  However,  the  middy  proved  to 
be  wrong,  and  the  sun  right  to  a  minute ;  time  flies  fast, 
fighting. 

Mrs.  Beresford  came  on  deck  with  brat  and  poodle. 
Fred,  a  destructive  child,  clapped  his  hands  with  glee  at 
the  holes  in  the  canvas ;  Snap  toddled  about  smelling 
the  blood  of  the  slain,  and  wagging  his  tail,  by  halves, 
perplexed.  "Well,  gentlemen,"  said  Mrs.  Beresford,  "I 
hope  you  have  made  noise  enough  over  one's  head ;  and 
what  a  time  you  did  take  to  beat  that  little  bit  of  a 
thing. — Freddy,  be  quiet;  you  worry  me.  Where  is 
your  bearer  ?  —  Will  anybody  oblige  me  by  finding 
Ramgolam  ?  " 

"  I  will,"  said  Mr.  Tickell,  hastily,  and  ran  off  for  the 
purpose ;  but  he  returned  after  some  time  with  a  long 
face.     No  Ramgolam  to  be  found. 

Fullalove  referred  her,  with  humor-twinkling  eye,  to 
Vespasian.  "  I  have  a  friend  here  who  says  he  can  tell 
you  something  about  him." 

"  Can  you,  my  good  man  ?  "  inquired  the  lady,  turning 
haughtily  towards  the  negro. 

"  Iss,  missy,"  said  Vespasian,  showing  his  white  teeth 
in  a  broad  grin,  "  dis  child  knows  where  to  find  dat  ar 
niggar,  widout  him  been  and  absquatulated  since." 

"  Then  go  and  fetch  him  directly." 

Vespasian  went  off  with  an  obedient  start. 

This  annoyed  Fullalove,  interfered  with  his  system. 
"Madam,"  said  he,  gravely,  "would  you  oblige  me  by 
bestowing  on  my  friend  a  portion  of  that  courtesy  with 
which  you  favor  me,  and  which  becomes  you  so  grace- 
fully ?  " 

"Certainly  not,"  replied  Mrs.  Beresford.  "Mr.  Fulla- 
love, I  am  out  of  patience  with  you ;  the  idea  of  a  sensi- 
ble, intelligent  gentleman  like  you  calling  that  creature 
your  friend !  and  you  an  American,  where  they  do  noth- 


HARD   CASH.  231 

ing  but  whip  them  from  morning  till  night.  Who  ever 
heard  of  making  friends  with  a  black  ?  Now,  what  is 
the  meaning  of  this  ?  I  detest  practical  jokes."  For 
the  stalwart  negro  had  returned,  bringing  a  tall  bread- 
bag  in  his  arms.  He  now  set  it  up  before  her,  remark- 
ing, "Dis  yar  bag  white  outside,  but  him  nation  black 
inside."  To  confirm  his  words,  he  drew  off  the  bag,  and 
revealed  Ramgolam,  his  black  skin  'powdered  with  meal. 
The  good-natured  negro  then  blew  the  flour  off  his  face, 
and  dusted  him  a  bit.  The  spectators  laughed  heartily, 
but  Raifigolam  never  moved  a  muscle.  Not  a  morsel  dis- 
composed at  what  would  have  made  an  European  misera- 
bly ashamed,  even  in  a  pantomime,  the  Caucasian  darky 
retained  all  his  dignity,  while  the  African  one  dusted 
him ;  but,  being  dusted,  he  put  on  his  obsequiousness, 
stepped  forward,  joined  his  palms  together  to  Mrs. 
Beresford,  like  mediaeval  knights  and  modern  children 
at  their  devotions,  and  addressed  her  thus :  — 

"Daughter  of  light,  he  who  basks  in  your  beams,  said 
to  himself,  'The  pirates  are  upon  us,  those  children  of 
blood,  whom  Sheitan  their  master  blast  forever !  They 
will  ravish  the  Queen  of  Sunshine  and  the  ayahs,  and 
throw  the  sahibs  and  sailors  into  the  sea;  but,  bread 
being  the  staff  of  existence,  these  foxes  of  the  water  will 
not  harm  it,  but  keep  it  for  their  lawless  appetites ;  there- 
fore, Ramgolam,  son  of  Chittroo,  son  of  Soonarayan,  will 
put  the  finger  of  silence  on  the  lip  of  discretion,  and  be 
bread  in  the  day  of  adversity.  The  sons  of  Sheitan  will 
peradventure  return  to  dry  land,  and  close  the  eye  of 
watchfulness ;  then  will  I  emerge  like  the  sun  from  a 
cloud,  and  depart  in  peace.' " 

"  Oh,  very  well,"  said  Mrs.  Beresford ;  "  then  you  are 
an  abominable  egotist,  that  is  all,  and  a  coward;  and, 
thank  Heaven,  Freddy  and  I  were  defended  by  English 
and  Americans,  and — hem!  —  their  friends,  and  not  by 


232  HARD   CASH. 

Hindoos."  She  added,  charmingly,  "This  shows  me 
my  first  words  on  coming  here  ought  to  have  been  to 
offer  my  warmest  thanks  to  the  brave  men  who  have 
defended  me  and  my  child,"  and  swept  them  so  queenly 
a  courtesy,  that  the  men's  hats  and  caps  flew  off  in  an 
instant.  "  iMr.  Black,"  said  she,  turning  with  a  voice  of 
honey  to  Vespasian,  but  aiming  obliquely  at  Fullalove's 
heart,  '^ would  you  oblige  me  by  kicking  that  dog  a  little; 
he  is  always  smelling  what  does  not  belong  to  him. 
Why,  it  is  blood.    Oh ! "  and  she  turned  pale  in  a  moment. 

Sharpe  thought  some  excuse  necessary.  ''You  see, 
ma'am,  we  haven't  had  time  to  clean  the  decks  since." 

"It  is  the  blood  of  men;  of  the  poor  fellows  who 
have  defended  u.s  so  nobly,"  faltered  the  lady,  trembling 
visibl}". 

"  Well,  ma'am,"  said  Sharpe,  still  half  apologetically, 
"you  know  a  ship  can't  fight  all  day  long  without  an 
accident  or  two."  He  added  with  nautical  simplicity  and 
love  of  cleanliness,  "However,  the  deck  will  be  cleaned 
and  holy-stoned  to-morrow,  long  before  you  turn  out." 

Mrs.  Beresford  was  too  much  overcome  to  explain  how 
much  deeper  her  emotion  was  than  a  dislike  to  stained 
floors.  She  turned  faint,  and,  on  getting  the  better  of 
that,  went  down  to  her  cabin  crying.  Thence  issued  a 
royal  order  that  the  wounded  were  to  have  wine  and 
every  luxury  they  could  fancy,  without  limit  or  stint,  at 
her  expense. 

The  next  day  a  deep  gloom  reigned  in  the  ship.  The 
crew  were  ranged  in  their  Sunday  clothes,  and  bare- 
headed. A  grating  was  rigged.  Sharpe  read  the  burial 
service ;  and  the  dead,  each  man  sewed  up  in  his  ham- 
mock, with  a  thirty-two-pound  shot,  glided  off  the  grating 
into  the  sea  with  a  sullen  plunge ;  while  their  shipmates 
cried  so,  that  the  tears  dripped  on  the  deck. 

With  these  regrets  for  the  slain,  too  violent  to  last, 


HARD   CASH,  233 

was  mingled  a  gloomy  fear  that  death  had  a  heavier  blow 

in  store.  The  surgeon's  report  of  Captain  Dodd  was 
most  alarming;  he  had  become  delirious  about  midnight, 
and  so  continued. 

Sharpe  commanded  the  ship;  and  the  rough  sailors 
stepped  like  cats  over  that  part  of  the  deck  beneath 
which  their  unconscious  captain  lay.  If  two  men  met 
on  the  quarter-deck,  a  look  of  anxious  but  not  hopeful 
inquiry  was  sure  to  pass  between  them. 

Among  the  constant  inquirers  was  Eamgolam.  The 
grave  Hindoo  often  waylaid  the  surgeon  at  the  captain's 
door,  to  get  the  first  intelligence.  This  marked  sympathy 
with  the  hero  in  extremity  was  hardly  expected  from  a 
sage  who  at  the  first  note  of  war's  trumpet  had  vanished 
in  a  meal-bag.  However,  it  went  down  to  his  credit. 
One  person,  however,  took  a  dark  view  of  this  innocent 
circumstance.  But  then  that  hostile  critic  was  Vespasian, 
a  rival  in  matters  of  tint.  He  exploded  in  one  of  those 
droll  rages  darkies  seem  liable  to.  "  Massa  Cunnel,"  said 
he,  "  what  for  dat  yar  niggar  always  prowling  about  the 
capn's  door  ?  What  for  he  ask  so  many  stupid  questions  ? 
Dat  ole  fox  arter  no  good;  him  heart  so  black  as  um 
skin,  dam  ole  niggar ! " 

Fullalove  suggested  slyly  that  a  person  with  a  dark 
skin  might  have  a  grateful  heart.  And  the  colonel,  who 
dealt  little  in  innuendo,  said,  "Come,  don't  you  be  so  hard 
on  jet,  you  ebony  ! " 

"Bery  well,  gemmen,"  replied  Vespasian,  ceremoni- 
ously, and  with  seeming  acquiescence.  Then,  with  sud- 
den ire,  "Because  Goramighty  made  you  white,  you  tink 
you  bery  wise  without  any  more  trouble.  Dat  ar  niggar 
am  an  abommable  egotisk." 

"Pray  what  does  that  mean?"  inquired  Kenealy, 
innocently. 

"  What  him  mean  ?  w^hat  him  mean  ?    Yah !  yah ! " 


234  HARD   CASH. 

"  Yes.     What  does  it  mean  ?  " 

"  What  him  mean  ?  Yah !  What,  dinn't  you  heal 
Missy  Besford  niiscal  him  an  abommable  egotisk  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  said  Fullalove,  winking  to  Kenealy ;  "  but  we 
don't  know  what  it  means.     Do  you,  sir  ?" 

"Iss,  sar.  Dat  are  expression  he  signify  a  darned  old 
cuss  dat  says  to  dis  child,  'My  lord  Vespasium,  take 
benevolence  on  your  insidious  slave,  and  invest  me  in  a 
bread-bag,'  instead  of  fighting  for  de  ladies  like  a  freen- 
independum  citizen.  Kow  you  two  go  fast  asleep.  Dis 
child  he  shut  one  eye  and  open  de  oder  bery  wide  open 
on  dat  ar  niggar."  And  with  this  mysterious  threat  he 
stalked  away. 

His  contempt  for  a  black  skin,  his  ebullitions  of  unex- 
pected ire,  his  turgid  pomposity,  and  love  of  long  terms, 
may  make  the  reader  smile ;  but  they  could  hardly  amuse 
his  friends  just  then :  everything  that  touched  upon  Dodd 
was  too  serious  now.  The  surgeon  sat  up  with  him  nearly 
all  night.  In  the  daytime  those  two  friends  sat  for  hours 
in  his  cabin,  watching  sadly,  and  silently  moistening  his 
burning  brow  and  his  parched  lips. 

At  length,  one  afternoon,  there  came  a  crisis,  which 
took  an  unfavorable  turn.  Then  the  surgeon,  speaking 
confidentially  to  these  two  stanch  friends,  inquired  if 
they  had  asked  themselves  what  should  be  done  with 
the  body.  "  Why  I  ask,"  said  he,  "  we  are  in  a  very  hot 
latitude  ;  and  if  you  wish  to  convey  it  to  Barkington,  the 
measures  ought  to  be  taken  in  time,  in  fact,  within  an 
hour  or  two  after  death." 

The  poor  friends  Avere  shocked  and  sickened  by  this 
horrible  piece  of  foresight.  But  Colonel  Kenealy  said 
with  tears  in  his  eyes  that  his  old  friend  should  never 
be  buried  like  a  kitten. 

"  Then  you  had  better  ask  Sharpe  to  give  me  an  order 
for  a  barrel  of  spirits,"  said  the  surgeon. 


HARD  CASH.  235 

"  Yes,  yes,  for  two  if  you  like.  Oh,  don't  die,  Dodd, 
my  poor  old  fellow  !  How  shall  I  ever  face  his  wife  —  I 
remember  her,  the  loveliest  girl  you  ever  saw  —  with 
such  a  tale  as  this  ?  She  will  think  it  a  cruel  thing  I 
should  come  out  of  it  without  a  scratch,  and  a  ten  times 
better  man  to  be  dead ;  and  so  it  is.  It  is  cruel,  it  is 
unjust,  it  is  monstrous :  him  to  be  lying  there,  and  we 
muffs  to  be  sitting  croaking  over  him  and  watching  for 
his  last  breath  like  three  cursed  old  ravens."  And  the 
stout  colonel  groaned  aloud. 

When  the  surgeon  left  them,  they  fell  naturally  upon 
another  topic  :  the  pledge  they  had  given  Dodd  about 
the  fourteen  thousand  pounds.  They  ascertained  it  was 
upon  him,  next  his  skin ;  but  it  seemed  as  unnecessary 
as  it  was  repugnant,  to  remove  it  from  his  living  person. 
They  agreed,  however,  that  instantly  on  his  decease 
they  would  take  possession  of  it,  note  the  particulars, 
seal  it  up,  and  carry  it  to  Mrs.  Dodd,  with  such  comfort 
as  they  could  hope  to  give  her  by  relating  the  gallant 
act  in  which  his  precious  life  was  lost. 

At  nine  p.m.  the  surgeon  took  his  place  by  Dodd's  bed- 
side ;  and  the  pair,  whom  one  thing  after  another  had 
drawn  so  close  together,  retired  to  Kenealy's  cabin. 

Many  a  merry  chat  they  had  had  there,  and  many  a 
gasconade,  being  rival  hunters ;  but  now  they  were 
together  for  physical  companionship  in  sorrow,  rather 
than  for  conversation.  They  smoked  their  cigars  in 
moody  silence,  and  at  midnight  shook  hands  with  a  sigh, 
and  parted.  That  sigh  meant  to  say  that  in  the  morning 
all  would  be  over. 

They  turned  in ;  but  ere  either  of  them  was  asleep, 
suddenly  the  captain's  cabin  seemed  to  fill  with  roars 
and  shrieks  of  wild  beasts,  that  made  the  whole  ship 
ring  in  the  silent  night ;  the  savage  cries  were  answered 
on  deck  by  shouts  of  dismay  and  many  pattering  feet 


236  HARD   CASH. 

making  for  the  companion  ladder ;  but  the  nearest  per- 
sons to  the  cabin,  and  the  first  to  reach  it,  were  Kenealy 
and  Fullalove,  who  burst  in,  the  former  with  a  drawn 
sword,  the  latter  with  a  revolver,  both  in  their  night- 
gowns, and  there  saw  a  sight  that  took  their  breath 
away. 

The  surgeon  was  not  there  ;  and  two  black  men,  one 
with  a  knife  and  one  with  his  bare  claws,  were  fighting 
and  struggling  and  trampling  all  over  the  cabin  at  once, 
and  the  dying  man  sitting  up  in  his  cot,  pale,  and 
glaring  at  them. 


TWO    BLACK    MEX     .     .     .     ^VERE    FIGHTING    AXD    STKUGGLING. 


HARD   CASH.  237 


CHAPTER  X. 

The  two  supple,  dusky  forms  went  whirling  so  fast, 
there  was  no  grasping  them  to  part  them.  But  presently 
the  negro  seized  the  Hindoo  by  the  throat ;  the  Hindoo 
just  pricked  him  in  the  arm  with  his  knife,  and  the  next 
moment  his  own  head  was  driven  against  the  side  of  the 
cabin  with  a  stunning  crack,  and  there  he  was,  pinned 
and  wriggling  and  bluish  with  fright,  whereas  the  other 
swart  face  close  against  his  was  dark-gray  with  rage, 
and  its  two  fireballs  of  eyes  rolled  fearfully,  as  none  but 
African  eyes  can  roll. 

FuUalove  pacified  him  by  voice  and  touch ;  he  with- 
drew his  iron  grasp  with  sullen  and  lingering  reluctance, 
and  glared  like  a  disappointed  mastiff.  The  cabin  was 
now  full,  and  Sharpe  was  for  putting  both  the  blacks  in 
irons.  No  splitter  of  hairs  was  he.  But  Fullalove  sug- 
gested there  might  be  a  moral  distinction  between  things 
that  looked  equally  dark  to  the  eye. 

"Well,  then,  speak  quick,  both  of  you,"  said  Sharpe, 
"or  I'll  lay  ye  both  by  the  heels.  Ye  black  scoundrels, 
Avhat  business  have  you  in  the  captain's  cabin,  kicking 
up  the  devil's  delight  ?  " 

Thus  threatened,  Vespasian  panted  out  his  tale  ;  he 
had  discovered  this  nigger,  as  he  persisted  in  calling 
the  Hindoo,  eternally  prowling  about  the  good  captain's 
door,  and  asking  stupid  questions  :  he  had  watched  him, 
and,  on  the  surgeon  coming  out  with  the  good  news  that 
the  captain  was  better,  in  had  crawled  "  this  yar  abom- 
mable  egotisk."  And  he  raised  a  ponderous  fist  to  point 
the   polysyllables ;    with   this   aid   the    sarcasm   would 


238  HARD  CASH. 

doubtless  have  been  crushing,  but  Fullalove  hung  on  the 
sable  orator's  arm,  and  told  him  dryly  to  try  and  speak 
without  gesticulating.  "  The  darned  old  cuss ! "  said 
Vespasian,  with  a  pathetic  sigh  at  not  being  let  hit  him. 
He  resumed,  and  told  how  he  had  followed  the  Hindoo 
stealthily,  and  found  him  with  a  knife  uplifted  over  the 
captain  —  a  tremor  ran  through  all  present  —  robbing 
him.  At  this  a  loud  murmur  filled  the  room :  a  very 
ugly  one,  the  sort  of  snarl  with  which  dogs  fly  at  dogs' 
throats  with  their  teeth,  and  men  fly  at  men's  throats 
with  a  cord. 

"  Be  quiet,"  said  Sharpe  imperiously.  "  I'll  have  no 
lynching  in  a  vessel  I  command.  Now  then,  you  sir, 
how  do  you  know  he  was  robbing  the  captain  ?  " 

"  How  do  I  know  ?  Yah  !  yah  !  Cap'n,  if  you  please 
you  tell  dis  unskeptical  gemman  whether  you  don't  miss 
a  lilly  book  out  of  your  bosom  ! " 

During  this  extraordinary  scene,  Dodd  had  been  look- 
ing from  one  speaker  to  another  in  great  surprise  and 
some  confusion ;  but,  at  the  negro's  direct  appeal,  his 
hand  went  to  his  breast,  and  clutched  it  with  a  feeble 
but  heart-rending  cry. 

"  Oh,  him  not  gone  far.  Yah,  yah ! "  and  Vespasian 
stooped,  and  took  up  an  oilskin  packet  off  the  floor,  and 
laid  it  on  the  bed;  "dis  child  seen  him  in  dat  ar  nig- 
gar's  hand,  and  heard  him  go  whack  on  de  floor." 

Dodd  hurried  the  packet  into  his  bosom,  then  turned 
all  gratitude  to  his  sable  friend  :  "  Now  God  bless  you ! 
God  bless  you !  Give  me  your  honest  hand  !  You  don't 
know  w'hat  you  have  done  for  me  and  mine." 

And,  sick  as  he  was,  he  wrung  Vespasian's  hand  with 
convulsive  strength,  and  would  not  part  wdth  it.  Vespa- 
sian patted  him  soothingly  all  over,  and  whimpered  out, 
"Nebber  you  mind,  cap'n!  You  bery  good  man;  dis 
child  bery  fond  of  you  a  long  time  ago.     You  bery  good 


HARD   CASH.  239 

man,  outrageous  good  man,  damn  good  man  !  I  propose 
your  health  ;  iuvalesce  directly !  " 

While  Dodd  was  speaking,  the  others  were  silent  out 
of  respect ;  but  now  Sharpe  broke  in,  and,  with  the 
national  desire  to  hear  both  sides,  called  on  Ramgolam 
for  his  version.  The  Hindoo  now  was  standing  with 
his  arms  crossed  on  his  breast,  looking  all  the  martyr, 
meek  and  dignified.  He  inquired  of  Sharpe,  in  very 
broken  English,  whether  he  spoke  Hindostanee. 

"  Not  I :  nor  don't  act  it  neither,"  said  Sharpe. 

At  this  confession  Ramgolam  looked  down  on  him 
with  pity  and  mild  contempt. 

Mr.  Tickell  was  put  forward  as  interpreter. 

Ramgolam  (in  Hindostanee).  He  whom  Destiny,  too 
strong  for  mortals,  now  oppresses  with  iron  hand,  and 
feeds  with  the  bread  of  affliction  — 

Mr.  Tickell  (translating).  He  who  by  bad  luck  has 
got  into  trouble  — 

Eamgolavi.  Has  long  observed  the  virtues  that  em- 
bellish the  commander  of  this  ship  resembling  a  moun- 
tain, and  desired  to  imitate  them  — 

Tickell.  Saw  what  a  good  man  the  captain  is,  and 
wanted  to  be  like  him  — 

Vespasian.     The  darned  old  cuss  ! 

Ramgolam.  Seeing  him  often  convey  his  hand  to  his 
bosom,  I  ascribed  his  unparalleled  excellence  to  the  pos- 
session of  some  sovereign  talisman.  (Tickell  managed 
to  translate  this  sentence  all  but  the  word  talisman, 
which  he  rendered,  with  all  a  translator's  caution,  "  arti- 
cle.") Finding  him  about  to  depart  to  the  regions  of 
the  blessed,  where  such  auxiliaries  are  not  needed,  and 
being  eager  to  emulate  his  perfections  here  below,  I 
came  softly  to  the  place  where  he  lay  — 

Tickell.  When  I  saw  him  going  to  slip  his  cable, 
I  wanted  to  be  as  good  a  fellow  as  he  is,  so  I  crept  along- 
side— 


240  HARD   CASH. 

Ramgolam.  And  gently,  and  without  force,  made 
myself  proprietor  of  the  amulet,  and  inheritor  of  a  good 
man's  qualities  — 

Tickell.  And  quietly  boned  the  article,  and  the 
captain's  virtues.     I  don't  know  what  the  beggar  means. 

Ramgolam.  Then  a  traitor  with  a  dark  skin,  but 
darker  soul  — 

Tickell.     Then  another  black-hearted  nigger  — 

Ramgolam.  Came  furiously  and  misappropriated  the 
charm  thus  piously  obtained  — 

Tickell.     Kan  in  and  stole  it  from  me. 

Ramgolam.  And  bereft  me  of  the  excellences  I  was 
inheriting;  and  — 

Here  Sharpe  interrupted  the  dialogue  by  putting  the 
misappropriator  of  other  men's  Adrtues  in  irons ;  and 
the  surgeon  insisted  on  the  cabin  being  cleared.  But 
Dodd  would  not  part  with  the  three  friends  yet;  he 
begged  them  to  watch  him,  and  see  nobody  else  came  to 
take  his  children's  forture. 

"  I'll  sink  or  swim  \Tith  it ;  but,  oh,  I  doubt  we  shall 
have  no  luck  whilt  it  is  aboard  me.  I  never  had  a 
pirate  alongside  before  in  all  these  years.  What  is  this  ? 
here's  something  in  it  now  :  something  hard  —  something 
heavy ;  and  —  why,  it  is  a  bullet ! " 

On  this  announcement,  an  eager  inspection  took  place : 
and,  sure  enough,  a  bullet  had  passed  through  Dodd's 
coat  and  waistcoat,  etc.,  and  through  the  oilskin,  and 
the  leather  pocket-book,  and  just  dented  the  "  Hard 
Cash,"  no  more. 

There  was  a  shower  of  comments  and  congratulations. 

The  effect  of  this  discovery  on  the  sick  man's  spirits 
was  remarkable.  "  I  was  a  villain  to  belie  it,"  said  he. 
"  It  is  my  wife's,  and  my  children's ;  and  it  has  saved 
my  life  for  them." 

He  kissed  it,  and  placed  it  iu  his  bosom,  and  sood 


HARD   CASH.  241 

after  sunk  into  a  peaceful  slumber.  The  excitement 
had  not  the  ill  effect  the  surgeon  feared.  It  somewhat 
exhausted  him,  and  he  slept  long,  but  on  awakening, 
was  pronounced  out  of  danger.  To  tell  the  truth,  the 
tide  had  turned  in  his  favor  over-night;  and  it  was  to 
convey  the  good  news  on  deck  the  surgeon  had  left  him. 

While  Dodd  was  recovering,  the  Agra  was  beating 
westward,  with  light  but  contrary  winds  ;  and  a  good 
month  elapsed  Avithout  any  incident  affecting  the  Hard 
Cash  whose  singular  adventures  I  have  to  record.  In 
this  dearth  please  put  up  with  a  little  characteristic  trifle, 
which  did  happen  one  moonlight  night.  Mr.  Fullalove 
lay  coiled  below  decks  in  deep  abstraction,  meditating  a 
patent ;  and,  being  in  shadow  and  silent,  he  sav/  Vespa- 
sian in  the  moonlight  creeping  on  all  fours  like  a  guilty 
thing  into  the  bedroom  of  Colonel  Kenealy,  then  fast 
asleep.  A  horrible  suspicion  thrilled  through  Fullalove  : 
a  suspicion  he  waited  grimly  to  verify. 

The  transatlantic  mixture,  Fullalove,  was  not  merely 
an  inventor,  a  philanthrope,  a  warrior,  a  preacher,  a 
hunter,  a  swimmer,  a  fiddler,  a  sharp  fellow,  a  good 
fellow,  a  Puritan,  and  a  Bohemian,  he  was  also  a  theo- 
rist :  and  his  theory,  which  dub  we  the  Africax 
THEORY,  had  two  branches :  1.  That  the  races  of  men 
started  equal,  but  accident  upon  accident  had  walked 
some  tribes  up  a  ladder  of  civilization,  and  kicked 
others  down  it,  and  left  others  standing  at  the  foot. 
2.  That  the  good  work  of  centuries  could  be  done,  at 
a  pinch,  in  a  few  generations,  by  artificial  condensation 
of  the  favorable  circumstances.  For  instance,  secure 
this  worker  in  ebony  a  hundred  and  fifty  years'  life,  and 
he  would  sign  a  penal  bond  to  produce  negroes  of  the 
fourth  descent  equal  in  mind  to  the  best  contemporary 
white.  "You  can  breed  brains/' said  he,  "under  any 
skin,  as  inevitably  as  fat.  It  takes  time  and  the  right 
16 


242  HARD   CASH. 

crosses ;  but  so  does  fat,  or  rather  it  did,  for  fat  is  an 
institution  now."  And  here  our  republican  must  have  a 
slap  at  thrones.  "Compare,"  said  he,  "the  0})portuni- 
ties  of  these  distinguished  gentlemen  and  ladies  with 
their  acts.  Their  seats  have  been  high,  but  their  minds 
low,  I  swan.  They  have  been  breeders  for  ages,  and 
know  the  two  rudiments  of  the  science ;  have  crossed 
and  crossed  for  grenadiers,  race-horses,  poultry,  and  prize 
bullocks,  and  bred  in  and  in  for  fools;  but  which  of 
them  has  ever  aspired  to  breed  a  Newton,  a  Pascal,  a 
Shakespeare,  a  Solon,  a  Raphael?  Yet  all  these  were 
results  to  be  obtained  by  the  right  crosses,  as  surely  as 
a  swift  horse  or  a  circular  sow.  Now  fancy  breeding 
short-horns  when  you  might  breed  long  heads."  So 
Vespasian  was  to  engender  young  Africa,  he  was  to  be 
first  elevated  morally  and  intellectually  as  high  as  he 
would  go,  and  then  set  to  breed,  his  partner,  of  course, 
to  be  elected  by  FuUalove,  and  educated  as  high  as  she 
would  consent  to  without  an  illicit  connection  with  the 
experimentalist.  He  would  be  down  on  their  pickanin- 
nies before  the  parents  could  transfer  the  remnant  of 
their  own  weaknesses  to  them,  polysyllables  included, 
and  would  polish  these  ebony  chips,  and,  at  the  next 
cross,  reckoned  to  rear  a  genius,  by  which  time,  as  near 
as  he  could  calculate,  he  the  theorist  would  be  in  his 
dotage,  and  all  the  better,  make  a  curious  contrast  in 
favor  of  young  Africa. 

Vespasian  could  not  hit  a  barn-door  sitting  —  with  a 
rifle ;  it  was  purely  with  a  view  to  his  moral  improve- 
ment, mind  you,  that  Fullalove  invited  him  into  the 
mizzen-top  to  fight  the  pirate.  The  patient  came  gin- 
gerly, and  shivered  there  with  fear.  But  five  minutes 
elapsing,  and  he  not  killed,  that  weakness  gave  way  to  a 
jocund  recklessness ;  and  he  kept  them  all  gay  with  his 
quaint  remarks,  of  which  I  must  record  but  one.     When 


HARD   CASH.  243 

they  crossed  the  stern  of  the  pirate,  the  distance  was  so 
Ksmall  that  tlie  faces  of  that  motley  crew  were  plainly 
visible ;  now,  Vespasian  was  a  merciless  critic  of  colored 
skins.  "  Wal,"  said  he,  turning  up  his  nose  sky  high, 
"dis  child  never  seen  such  a  mixellaneous  biling  o' 
darkies  as  this  yar;  wh}',  darned  ef  there  ain't  every 
color  in  the  rainbow,  from  the  ace  of  spades  down  to 
the  fine  dissolving  views."  This  amazing  description, 
coupled  with  his  look  of  affront  and  disgust,  made  the 
white  men  roar  ;  for  men  fighting  for  their  lives  have  a 
greater  tendency  to  laugh  than  one  would  think  possible. 
Fullalove  was  proud  of  the  critic,  and  for  awhile  lost 
sight  of  the  pirate  in  his  theory,  which  also  may  seem 
strange.  But  your  true  theorist  is  a  man  apart ;  he  can 
withdraw  into  himself  under  difficulties.  What  said 
one  of  the  breed  two  thousand  years  ago  ? 

"  Media  inter  prnslia  semper 
Sideribus  coelique  plagis  Superisque  vacavi." 

'•'  Oh,  the  great  African  heart  I  "  said  Fullalove  after  the 
battle.  "By  my  side  he  fears  no  danger.  Of  all  men, 
negroes  are  the  most  capable  of  friendship  ;  their  affec- 
tion is  a  mine  ;  and  we  have  only  worked  it  with  the 
lash;  and  that  is  a  ridicalous  mining  tool,  I  rather 
think." 

When  Vespasian  came  out  so  strong  versus  Ramgolam, 
Fullalove  was  even  more  triumphant :  for,  after  all,  it  is 
not  so  much  the  heart  as  the  intelligence  of  the  negro 
we  albiculi  affect  to  doubt. 

'•  Oh,  the  great  African  intellect ! "  said  Fullalove, 
publicly,  taking  the  bull  by  the  horns. 

"I  know,"  said  Mrs.  Beresford,  maliciously;  "it  is 
down  in  the  maps  as  the  great  African  Desert." 

To  balance  his  many  excellences,  Vespasian  had  an 
infirmity.     This  was  an  ungovernable  itch  for  brushing 


244  HARD   CASH. 

whites.  If  he  was  talking  with  one  of  that  always 
admired,  and  now  beloved,  race,  and  saw  a  speck  of  dirt 
on  him,  he  would  brush  him  unobtrusively,  but  effectu- 
ally, in  full  dialogue :  he  would  steal  behind  a  knot  of 
whites,  and  brush  whoever  needed  it,  however  little. 
Fullalove  remonstrated,  but  in  vain ;  on  this  one  point 
instinct  would  not  yield  to  reason.  He  could  not  keep 
his  hands  off  a  dusty  white.  He  would  have  died  of 
the  miller  of  Dee.  But  the  worst  was,  he  did  not  stop 
at  clothes  ;  he  loathed  ill-blacked  shoes ;  woe  to  all  foot- 
leather  that  did  not  shine ;  his  own  skin  furnished  a 
perilous  standard  of  comparison.  He  was  eternally 
blacking  boots  en  amateur.  Fullalove  got  in  -a  rage  at 
this,  and  insisted  on  his  letting  his  fellow-creatures' 
leatlier  alone.  Vespasian  pleaded  hard,  especially  for 
leave  to  black  Colonel  Kenealy.  "The  cunnell,"  said 
he,  pathetically,  "is  such  a  tarnation  fine  gentleman 
spoilt  for  want  of  a  lilly  bit  of  blacking."  Fullalove 
replied  that  the  colonel  had  got  a  servant  whose  mission 
it  was  to  black  his  shoes.  This  simply  amused  Vespa- 
sian. "  A  servant  ?  "  said  he.  "  Yah  !  yah  !  What  is 
the  use  of  white  servants  ?  They  are  not  biddable. 
Massa  Fullalove,  sar,  Goramighty  He  reared  all  white 
man  to  kick  up  a  dust,  white  servants  inspecially,  and 
the  darkies  to  brush  'era ;  and  likewise  additionally  to 
make  their  boots  shine,  a  lilly  bit."  He  concluded  with 
a  dark  hint  that  the  colonel's  white  servant's  own  shoes, 
though  better  blacked  than  his  master's,  were  any- 
thing but  mirrors,  and  that  this  child  had  his  eye  on 
them. 

The  black  desperado  emerged  on  tiptoe  from  Kenealy's 
cabin,  just  as  Macbeth  does  from  the  murdered  Duncan's 
chamber ;  only  with  a  pair  of  boots  in  his  hand  instead 
of  a  pair  of  daggers ;  got  into  the  moonlight,  and  finding 


HARD   CASH.  245 

himself  uninterrupted,  assumed  the  whistle  of  innocence, 
and  polished  them  to  the  nine,  chuckling  audibly. 

Fullalove  watched  him  with  an  eye  like  a  rattlesnake, 
but  kept  quiet.  He  saw  interference  would  only  demor- 
alize him  worse ;  for  it  is  more  ignoble  to  black  boots 
clandestinely,  than  bravely :  men  ditto. 

He  relieved  his  heart  with  idioms.  "Darn  the  critter  ! 
he's  fixed  my  flint  eternally.  Now  I  cave.  I-»swan  to 
man  I  may  just  hang  up  my  fiddle,  for  this  darky's  too 
hard  a  row  to  hoe." 

It  was  but  a  momentary  dejection.  The  mixture  was 
(inter  alia)  a  theorist  and  an  Anglo-Saxon,  two  indom- 
itables.  He  concluded  to  temporize  with  the  brush  and 
breed  it  out. 

"  I'm  bound  to  cross  the  obsequious  cuss  with  the  cat- 
awamptiousest  gal  in  Guinea,  and  one  that  never  saw  a 
blacking-bottle,  not  even  in  a  dream."     Majora  canamus. 

Being  now  about  a  hundred  miles  south  of  the  Mauri- 
tius, in  fine  weather  with  a  light  breeze,  Dodd's  marine 
barometer  began  to  fall  steadily ;  and  by  the  afternoon 
the  declension  had  become  so  remarkable  that  he  felt 
uneasy ;  and  somewhat  to  the  surprise  of  the  crew,  —  for 
there  was  now  scarce  a  breath  of  air,  —  furled  his  slight 
sails,  treble-reefed  his  topsails,  had  his  top-gallant,  and 
royal,  yards,  and  gaff-topsail,  sent  on  deck,  got  his  flying- 
jib-boom  in,  etc.,  and  made  the  ship  snug. 

Kenealy  asked  him  what  was  the  matter  ? 

"  Barometer  going  down,  moon  at  the  full,  and  Jonah 
aboard,"  was  the  reply,  uttered  doggedly. 

Kenealy  assured  him  it  was  a  beautiful  evening,  pre- 
cursor of  a  fine  day.     *'  See  how  red  the  sunset  is  :  — 

'  Evening  red  and  morning  gray 
Are  the  sure  signs  of  a  fine  day.'  " 

Dodd  looked,  and  shook  his  head.     The  sun  was  red, 


246  HARD  CASH. 

but  the  wrong  red,  an  angry  red;  and,  as  he  dipped  into 
the  wave,  discharged  a  lurid  coppery  hue  that  rushed  in 
a  moment  like  an  embodied  menace  over  the  entire 
heavens.  The  wind  ceased  altogether ;  and  in  the  middle 
of  an  unnatural  and  suspicious  calm  the  glass  went  down, 
down,  down. 

The  moon  rose,  and  instantly  all  eyes  were  bent  on 
her  with  suspicion ;  for  in  this  latitude  the  hurricanes 
generally  come  at  the  full  moon.  She  was  tolerably 
clear,  however ;  but  a  light  scud  sailing  across  her  disk 
showed  there  was  Avind  in  the  upper  regions. 

Dodd  trusted  to  science,  barred  the  lee-ports,  and  had 
the  dead  lights  put  into  the  stern-cabin  and  secured, 
then  turned  in  for  an  hoar's  sleep. 

Science  proved  a  prophet.  Just  at  seven  bells,  in  one 
moment,  like  a  thunderbolt  from  the  sky,  a  heavy  squall 
struck  the  ship.  Under  a  less  careful  captain  her  lee- 
ports  would  have  been  open,  and  she  might  have  gone  to 
the  bottom  like  a  bullet. 

"  Let  go  the  main  sheet ! "  roared  Sharpe,  hastily,  to  a 
hand  he  had  placed  there  on  purpose ;  he  let  go,  and 
there  was  the  sail  flapping  like  thunder,  and  the  sheet 
lashing  everything  in  the  most  dangerous  way.  Dodd 
was  on  deck  in  a  moment.  "  Helm  hard  up !  Hands 
shorten  sail ! " 

(Pipe.)     "  All  hands  furl  sail,  ahoy  !  " 

Up  tumbled -the  crew,  went  cheerily  to  work,  and  by 
three  bells  in  the  middle  watch,  had  hauled  up  what  was 
left  of  the  shivered  mainsail,  and  hove  the  ship  to, 
under  close-reefed  main  topsail  and  storm  staysails ;  and 
so  the  voyage  was  suspended. 

A  heavy  sea  got  up  under  a  scourging  wind  that  rose 
and  rose,  till  the  Agra,  under  the  pressure  of  that  single 
sail  treble-reefed,  heeled  over  so  as  to  dip  her  lee  chan- 
ne]?..     This  went  on  till  the  waves  rolled  so  high,  and 


HARD   CASH.  247 

the  squalls  were  so  bitter,  that  sheets  of  water  were 
actuall}'  torn  off  their  crests  and  launched  incessantly 
on  deck,  not  only  drenching  Dodd  and  his  officers,  which 
they  did  not  mind,  but  threatening  to  flood  the  ship. 

Dodd  battened  down  the  hatches  and  stopped  that 
game. 

Then  came  a  danger  no  skill  could  avert;  the  ship 
lurched  so  violently  now  as  not  merely  to  dip,  but  bury 
her  lower  deck  port-pendants ;  and  so  a  good  deal  of 
water  found  ingress  through  the  windage.  Then  Dodd 
set  a  gang  to  the  pumps,  for  he  said,  "  We  can  hardly 
hope  to  weather  this  out  without  shipping  a  sea,  and  I 
won't  have  water  coming  in  upon  water." 

And  now  the  wind,  raging  and  roaring  like  discharges 
of  artillery,  and  not  like  wind  as  known  in  our  seas, 
seemed  to  have  put  out  all  the  lights  of  heaven.  The 
sky  was  inky  black,  and  quite  close  to  their  heads ;  and 
the  wind  still  increasing,  the  vessel  came  down  to  her 
extreme  bearings,  and  it  was  plain  she  would  soon  be  on 
her  beam  ends.  Sharpe  and  Dodd  met,  and  holding  on 
by  the  life-lines,  applied  their  speaking-trumpets  tight 
to  each  other's  ears,  and  even  then  they  had  to  bawl. 

"  She  can't  carry  a  rag  much  longer." 

"1^0,  sir,  not  half  an  hour." 

"Can  we  furl  that  main  taupsle  ?'' 

Sharpe  shook  his  head.  "  The  first  moment  we  start 
a  sheet,  the  sail  will  whip  the  mast  out  of  her." 

"  You  are  right.     Well,  then,  I'll  cut  it  away." 

"  Volunteers,  sir  ?  " 

"Ay,  twelve;  no  more.     Send  them  to  my  cabin." 

Sharpe's  difficulty  was  to  keep  the  men  back,  so  eagei 
were  the  fine  fellows  to  risk  their  lives.  However,  he 
brought  twelve  to  the  cabin,  headed  by  Mr.  Grey,  who 
had  a  right,  as  captain  of  the  watch,  to  go  with  them ; 
on  which  right  he  insisted,  in  spite  of  Dodd's  earnest 


248  HARD   CASH. 

request  that  he  would  forego  it.  When  Dodd  saw  his 
resolution,  he  dropped  the  friend  and  resumed  the  cap- 
tain ;  and  spoke  to  them  through  a  trumpet,  the  first 
time  he  had  ever  used  one  in  a  cabin  or  seen  one  used. 

"  Mr.  Gre5'  and  men  going  aloft  to  save  the  mainmast, 
by  cutting  the  sail  away." 

"Ay,  ay,  sir!" 

"  Service  of  danger,  great  danger  I " 

"Hurrah!" 

"  But  great  dangers  can  be  made  smaller  by  working 
the  right  way.  Attend !  Lay  out  all  on  the  yard,  and 
take  your  time  from  one :  man  at  the  lee  yard  arm ; 
don't  know  who  that  will  be,  but  one  of  the  smartest- 
men  in  the  ship.  Order  to  him  is  :  hold  his  knife  hand 
well  up ;  rest  to  see  ;  and  then  in  knives  altogether  j  mind 
and  cut  from  you,  and  below  the  reef  band ;  and  then  I 
hope  to  see  all  come  down  alive." 

Mr.  Grey  and  his  twelve  men  left  the  cabin,  and  hey ! 
for  the  maintop.  The  men  let  the  officer  lead  them  as 
far  as  Jacob's  ladder,  and  then  hurrah  for  the  lee  yard 
arm !  That  was  where  all  wanted  to  be,  and  but  one 
could  be ;  Grey  was  as  anxious  as  the  rest ;  but  officers 
of  his  rank  seldom  go  aloft,  and  soon  fall  out  of  their 
catlike  habits.  He  had  done  about  six  ratlines,  when, 
instead  of  going  hand  over  head,  he  spread  his  arms  to 
seize  a  shroud  on  each  side  of  him  ;  by  this  he  weakened 
his  leverage;  and  the  wind  just  then  came  fiercer,  caught 
him,  and  flattened  him  against  the  rigging  as  tight  as  if 
nature  had  caught  up  a  mountain  for  a  hammer  and 
nailed  him  with  a  cedar;  he  was  spread-eagled.  The 
men  accepted  him  at  once  as  a  new  patent  ratline  with  a 
fine  resisting  power;  they  went  up  him,  and  bounded 
three  ordinary  ratlines  at  a  go  off  all  his  promontories, 
especially  his  shoulders  and  his  head,  receiving  his  com- 
pliments in  the  shape  of  hearty  curses ;  they  gained  the 


HARD   CASH.  249 

top,  and  lay  out  on  the  yard  with  their  hair  flying  like 
streamers ;  and  who  got  the  place  of  honor  but  Thomp- 
son, the  jolly  fore-topman,  who  couldn't  stand  smoked 
pea  soup !     So  strong  and  so  weak  are  men. 

Thompson  raised  his  knife  high;  there  was  a  pause ; 
then  in  went  all  their  knives,  and  away  went  the  sail 
into  the  night  of  the  storm,  and  soon  seemed  a  sheet  of 
writing-paper,  and  more  likely  to  hit  the  sky  than  the 
sea.  The  men  came  down,  picked  their  officer  ofE  the 
rigging,  had  a  dram  in  the  captain's  cabin,  and  saw  him 
enter  their  names  in  the  log-book  for  good  service,  and 
in  the  purser's  for  extra  grog  on  Sundays  from  there  to 
Gravesend. 

The  ship  was  relieved,  and  all  looked  well,  till  the 
chronometer,  their  only  guide  now,  announced  sunset; 
when  the  wind,  incredible  as  it  may  appear,  increased, 
and  one  frightful  squall  dipped  the  muzzles  of  the  lee 
carronades  in  the  water. 

Then  was  heard  the  first  cry  of  distress  :  an  appalling 
sound;  the  wail  of  brave  men.  And  they  had  borne  it 
all  so  bravely,  so  cheerfully,  till  now.  But  now  they 
knew  something  must  go,  or  else  the  ship  ;  the  suspense 
was  awful,  but  very  short.  Crack  !  crash  !  the  fore  and 
main  topmast  both  gone  short  off  by  the  caps ;  and  the 
ship  recovered  slowly,  hesitatingly,  tremblingly. 

Relieving  her  from  one  danger,  this  subjected  her  to 
another  and  a  terrible  one.  The  heavy  spars  that  had 
fallen,  unable  to  break  loose  from  the  rigging,  pounded 
the  ship  so  savagely  as  to  threaten  to  stave  in  her  side. 
Add  to  this  that  with  laboring  so  long  and  severely  some 
of  the  ship's  seams  began  now  to  open  and  shut  and  dis- 
charge the  oakum,  which  is  terrible  to  the  bravest  sea- 
men. Yet  neither  this  stout  captain  nor  his  crew 
shirked  any  danger  men  had  ever  grappled  with  since 
men  were ;  Dodd  ordered  them  to  cut  away  the  wreck  to 


*J5i)  HARD  CASH. 

leeward ;  it  was  done  ;  then  to  windward ;  this,  the  more 
ticklish  operation,  was  also  done  smartly ;  the  wreck 
passed  under  the  ship's  quarter,  and  she  drifted  clear  of 
it.     They  breathed  again. 

At  eight  bells  in  the  first  watch  it  began  to  thunder 
and  lighten  furiously ;  but  the  thunder,  though  close, 
was  quite  inaudible  in  the  tremendous  uproar  of  the 
wind  and  sea.  It  blew  a  hurricane :  there  were  no  more 
squalls  now  :  but  one  continuous  tornado,  which  in  its 
passage  through  that  great  gaunt  skeleton,  the  ship's 
rigging  and  bare  poles,  howled  and  yelled  and  roared  so 
terrifically,  as  would  have  silenced  a  salvo  of  artillery 
fired  alongside.  The  overwhelming  sea  ran  in  dark 
watery  mountains  crested  with  devilish  fire.  The  inky 
blackness  added  supernatural  horror  ;  the  wrath  of  the 
Almighty  seemed  upon  them  ;  and  His  hand  to  drop  the 
black  sky  down  on  them  for  their  funeral  pall.  Surely 
Noah  from  his  ark  saw  nothing  more  terrible. 

What  is  that  ?  close  on  the  lee  bow  ;  close  :  the  flash 
of  a  gun ;  another ;  another ;  another.  A  ship  in  dis- 
tress firing  minute-guns  in  their  ears;  yet  no  sound: 
human  thunder  silenced,  as  God's  thunder  was  silenced, 
by  the  uproar  of  his  greater  creatures  in  their  mad  rage. 
The  Agra  fired  two  minute-guns  to  let  the  other  poor 
ship  know  she  had  a  companion  in  her  helplessness,  and 
her  distress ;  and  probably  a  companion  in  her  fate. 
Even  this  companionship  added  its  mite  of  danger :  for 
both  ships  were  mere  playthings  of  the  elements  ;  they 
might  be  tossed  together ;  and  then,  what  would  be  their 
fate  ?  Two  eggs  clashed  together  in  a  great  boiling 
caldron,  and  all  the  life  spilt  out. 

Yet  did  each  flash  shoot  a  ray  of  humanity  and 
sympathy  into  the  thick  black  supernatural  horror. 

And  now  came  calamity  upon  calamity.  A  tremendous 
sea  broke  the  tiller  at  the  rudderhead,  and  not  only  was 


HARD   CASH.  251 

the  ship  in  danger  of  falling  off  and  shipping  the  sea, 
but  the  i-udder  hammered  lier  awfully,  and  bade  fair  to 
stave  in  her  counter,  which  is  another  word  for  destruc- 
tion. Thus  death  came  at  them  with  two  hands  open  at 
once. 

These  vessels  always  carry  a  spare  tiller ;  they  tried 
to  ship  it ;  but  the  difficulty  was  prodigious.  No  light 
but  the  miserable  deck-lantern  —  one  glowworm  in 
Egypt  supernaturally  darkened  —  the  Agra  never  on  an 
even  keel,  and  heeling  over  like  a  seesaw  more  than  a 
ship ;  and  then  every  time  they  did  place  the  tiller,  and 
get  the  strain  on  with  their  luff  tackles,  the  awful  sea 
gave  it  a  blow  and  knocked  it  away  like  a  hair. 

At  last  they  hit  it  off,  or  thought  they  had,  for  the 
ponderous  thumps  of  the  rudder  ceased  entirely.  How- 
ever, the  ship  did  not  obey  this  new  tiller  like  the  old 
one ;  her  head  fell  off  in  an  unlucky  moment  when  seven 
waves  were  rolling  in  one,  and,  on  coming  to  the  wind- 
ward again,  she  shipped  a  sea.  It  came  in  over  her  bow 
transversely;  broke  as  high  as  the  mainstay,  and  hid 
and  buried  the  Avhole  ship  before  the  mast;  carried  away 
the  waist  bulwarks  on  both  sides,  filled  the  launch,  and 
drowned  the  live  stock  which  Avere  in  it;  swept  four 
water-butts  and  three  men  away  into  the  sea,  like  corns 
and  straws  ;  and  sent  tons  of  water  down  the  forescuttle 
and  main  hatchway,  which  was  partly  opened  not  to 
stifle  the  crew  ;  and  flooded  the  gun-deck  ankle  deep. 

Dodd,  who  was  in  the  cabin,  sent  the  whole  crew  to 
the  pumps,  except  the  men  at  the  wheel ;  and  prepared 
for  the  worst. 

In  men  so  brave  as  he  was,  when  hope  dies,  fear  dies. 
His  chief  care  now  was  to  separate  the  fate  of  those  he 
loved  from  his  own.  He  took  a  bottle,  inserted  the  fatal 
money  in  it,  with  a  few  words  of  love  to  his  wnfe,  and  of 
direction  to  any  stranger  that  should  fall  in  with  it  j 


252  HARD  CASH. 

secured  the  cork  with  melted  sealing-wax,  tied  oilskin 
over  it  and  melted  wax  on  that;  applied  a  preparation  to 
the  glass  to  close  the  pores ;  and  to  protect  it  against 
other  accidents,  and  attract  attention,  fastened  a  black 
painted  bladder  to  it  by  a  stout  tarred  twine,  and  painted 
"  Agra,  lost  at  sea,"  in  white  on  the  bladder.  He  had 
logged  each  main  incident  of  the  storm  with  that  curt, 
business-like  accuracy  which  reads  so  cold  and  small  a 
record  of  these  great  and  terrible  tragedies.  He  now 
made  a  final  entry  a  little  more  in  character  with  the 
situation :  "  About  eight  bells  in  the  morning  watch 
shipped  a  heavy  sea  forward.  The  rudder  being  now 
damaged,  and  the  ship  hardly  manageable,  brought  the 
log  and  case  on  deck,  expecting  to  founder  shortly.  Sun 
and  moon  hidden  this  two  days,  and  no  observation  pos- 
sible ;  but  by  calculation  of  wind  and  current,  we  should 
be  about  fifty  miles  to  the  southward  of  the  INIauritius. 
God's  will  be  done." 

He  got  on  deck  with  the  bottle  in  his  pocket,  and  the 
bladder  peeping  out ;  put  the  log,  and  its  case,  down  on 
deck,  and  by  means  of  the  life-lines  craAvled  along  on  his 
knees,  and  with  great  difiiculty  to  the  wheel.  Finding 
the  men  could  hardly  hold  on,  and  dreading  another  sea, 
Dodd,  with  his  own  hands,  lashed  them  to  the  helm. 

While  thus  employed,  he  felt  the  ship  give  a  slight 
roll,  a  very  slight  roll,  to  windward.  His  experienced 
eye  lightened  with  hope,  he  cast  his  eager  glance  to  lee- 
ward. There  it  is  a  sailor  looks  for  the  first  spark  of 
hope.  Ay,  thereaway  was  a  little,  little  gleam  of  light. 
He  patted  the  helmsman  on  the  shoulder  and  pointed  to 
it ;  for  now  neither  could  one  man  speak  for  the  wind, 
nor  another  hear.     The  sailor  nodded  joyfully. 

Presently  the  continuous  tornado  broke  into  squalls. 

Hope  grew  brighter. 

But,  unfortunately,  in   one   furious   squall   the   ship 


HARD   CASH.  253 

broke  round  off  so  as  to  present  lier  quarter  to  the  sea  at 
an  unlucky  moment ;  for  it  came  seven  deep  again,  a 
roaring  mountain,  and  hurled  itself  over  her  stern  and 
quarter.  The  mighty  mass  struck  her  stern  frame  with 
the  Aveight  of  a  hundred  thousand  tons  of  water,  and 
drove  her  forward  as  a  boy  launelies  his  toy-boat  on  a 
pond  ;  and,  though  she  made  so  little  resistance,  stove  in 
the  dead  lights  and  the  port  frames,  burst  through  the 
cabin  bulkheads,  and  M'ashed  out  all  the  furniture,  and 
Colonel  Kenealy  in  his  night-gown  with  a  table  in  his 
arms  borne  on  water  three  feet  deep,  and  carried  him 
under  the  poop  awning  away  to  the  lee  quarter-deck 
scuppers  ;  and  flooded  the  lower  deck.  Above,  it  swept 
the  quarter-deck  clean  of  everything  except  the  shriek- 
ing helmsmen;  Avashed  Dodd  away  like  a  cork,  and 
would  have  carried  him  overboard  if  he  had  not  brought 
up  against  the  mainmast  and  grasped  it  like  grim  death, 
half  drowned,  half  stunned,  sorely  bruised,  and  gasping 
like  a  porpoise  ashore. 

He  held  on  by  the  mast  in  water  and  foam,  panting. 
He  rolled  his  despairing  eyes  around:  the  bulwarks 
fore  and  aft  were  all  in  ruins,  with  wide  chasms,  as 
between  the  battlements  of  some  decayed  castle  ;  and 
through  the  gaps  he  saw  the  sea  yawning  wide  for  him. 
He  dared  not  move ;  no  man  was  safe  a  moment  unless 
lashed  to  mast  or  helm.  He  held  on,  expecting  death. 
But  presently  it  struck  him  he  could  see  much  farther 
than  before.  He  looked  up  ;  it  was  clearing  overhead  ; 
and  the  uproar  abating  visibly.  And  now  the  wdnd  did 
not  decline  as  after  a  gale ;  extraordinary  to  the  last,  it 
blew  itself  out. 

Sharpe  came  on  deck,  and  crawled  on  all  fours  to  his 
captain,  and  helped  him  to  a  life-line.  He  held  on  by  it, 
and  gave  his  orders.  The  wind  was  blown  out ;  but  the 
sea  was  as  dangerous  as  ever.     The  ship  began  to  roll  to 


254  HARD  CASH. 

windward.  If  that  was  not  stopped,  her  fate  was  sealed. 
Dodd  had  the  main  trysail  set,  and  then  the  fore  trysail, 
before  he  would  yield  to  go  below,  though  drenched,  and 
sore,  and  hungry,  and  worn  out.  Those  sails  steadied 
the  ship ;  the  sea  began  to  go  down  by  degrees ;  the 
celestial  part  of  nature  was  more  generous  ;  away  flew 
every  cloud,  out  came  the  heavenly  sky  bluer  and  lovelier 
than  ever  they  had  seen  it ;  the  sun  flamed  in  its  centre. 
Kature,  after  three  days'  eclipse,  was  so  lovely,  it  seemed 
a  new  heavens  and  a  new  earth.  If  there  was  an  infidel 
on  board  who  did  not  believe  in  God,  now  his  soul  felt 
Him,  in  spite  of  the  poor  little  head ;  as  for  Dodd,  who 
was  naturally  pious,  he  raised  his  eyes  towards  that 
lovely  sky  in  heartfelt,  though  silent,  gratitude  to  its 
Maker  for  saving  the  ship  and  cargo  and  her  people's 
lives,  not  forgetting  the  private  treasure  he  was  carrying 
home  to  his  dear  wife  and  children. 

AYith  this  thought,  he  naturally  looked  down ;  but 
missed  the  bladder  that  had  lately  protruded  from  his 
pocket ;  he  clapped  his  hand  to  his  pocket  all  in  a  flut- 
ter. The  bottle  was  gone.  In  a  fever  of  alarm  and 
anxiety,  but  with  good  hopes  of  finding  it,  he  searched 
the  deck  ;  he  looked  in  every  cranny,  behind  every  coil 
of  rope  the  sea  had  not  carried  away. 

In  vain. 

The  sea,  acting  on  the  buoyant  bladder  attached,  had 
clearly  torn  the  bottle  out  of  his  pocket,  when  it  washed 
him  against  the  mast.  His  treasure  then  must  have  been 
driven  much  farther ;  and  how  far  ?     Who  could  tell  ? 

It  flashed  on  the  poor  man  with  fearful  distinctness 
that  it  must  either  have  been  picked  up  by  somebody  in 
the  ship  ere  now,  or  else  carried  out  to  sea. 

Strict  inquiry  was  made  amongst  the  men. 

No  one  had  seen  it. 

The  fruit  of  his  toil  and  prudence,  the  treasure  love, 


HARD   CASH.  255 

not  avarice,  had  twined  with  his  heartstrings,  was  gone. 
In  its  defence  he  had  defeated  two  pirates,  each  his 
superior  in  force ;  and  now  conquered  the  elements  at 
their  maddest.  And  in  the  very  moment  of  that  great 
victory  —  it  was  gone 


256  HARD   CASH. 


CHAPTER   XI. 

In  the  narrative  of  home  events  I  skipped  a  little 
business,  not  quite  colorless,  but  irrelevant  to  the  love 
passages  then  on  hand.  It  has,  however,  a  connection 
with  the  curious  events  now  converging  to  a  point;  so, 
with  the  reader's  permission,  I  will  place  it  in  logical 
sequence,  disregarding  the  order  of  time.  The  day  Dr. 
SampscMi  splashed  among  the  ducks,  and  one  of  them  hid 
till  dinner,  the  rest  were  seated  at  luncheon,  when  two 
patients  were  announced  as  waiting  —  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Maxley.  Sampson  refused  to  see  them,  on  this  ground: 
"  I  will  not  feed  and  heal."  But  Mrs.  Dodd  interceded, 
and  he  yielded.  "  Well,  then,  show  them  in  here ;  they 
are  better  cracters  than  pashints."  On  this,  a  stout 
fresh-colored  woman,  the  picture  of  health,  was  ushered 
in,  and  courtesied  all  round.  "  Well,  what  is  the  matter 
now  ?  "  inquired  Sampson,  rather  roughly.  "  Be  seated, 
Mrs.  Maxley,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd,  benignly. 

"  I  thank  ye  kindly,  ma'am ; "  and  she  sat  down. 
"Doctor,  it  is  that  pain." 

''Well,  don't  say  'that  pain.'  Describe  it.  Now 
listen  all  of  ye ;  ye're  goen'  to  get  a  clinical  lecture." 

"If  yo;(  please,  ma'am,"  said  the  patient,  "it  takes  me 
here  under  my  left  breest,  and  runs  right  to  my  elbow,  it 
do ;  and  bitter  bad  'tis  while  it  do  last ;  chokes  me, 
mostly  ;  and  I  feel  as  I  must  die  ;  and  if  I  was  to  move 
hand  or  fut,  I  think  I  should  die,  that  I  do." 

"  Poor  woman,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd. 

"Oh,  she  isn't  dead  yet,"  cried  Sampson  cheerfully. 
"  She'll  sell  addled  eggs  over  all  our  tombstones ;  that  is 


BLARt)   CASH.  257 

to  say,  if  she  minds  what  I  bid  her.  \Yhen  was  your  last 
spasm  ?  " 

"  J^o  longer  agone  than  yestereen,  ma'am  ;  and  so  I 
said  to  my  master, '  The  doctor  he  is  due  to-morrow,  Sally 
up  at  Albion  tells  me  ;  and '  "  — 

"  Whisht !  whisht !  who  cares  what  3'ou  said  to  Jack, 
and  Jill  said  to  you  ?     What  was  the  cause  ?  " 

"  The  cause  !  What,  of  my  pain  ?  He  says,  *  What 
was  the  cause  ?  '  " 

"  Ay,  the  cause.  Just  obsairve,  jintlemen,"  said 
Sampson,  addressing  imaginary  students,  "  how  startled 
they  all  are  if  a  docker  deviates  from  profissional  habits 
into  sceince,  and  takes  the  right  eend  of  the  stick  for 
once  b'  asking  for  the  cause." 

"  The  cause  was  the  will  of  God,  I  do  suppose,"'  said 
Mrs.  Maxley. 

"  Stuff  I  "  shouted  Sampson,  angrily.  "  Then  why 
come  to  mortal  me  to  cure  you  ?  " 

Alfred  put  in  his  oar.  "  He  does  not  mean  the  '  final 
cause  ; '  he  means  the  'proximate  cause.'  " 

"  My  poor  dear  creature,  I  baint  no  Latiner,"  objected 
the  patient. 

Sampson  fixed  his  e3'es  sternly  on  the  slippery  dame. 
"What  I  want  to  know  is,  had  you  been  running  up- 
stairs ?  or  eating  fast  ?  or  drinking  fast  ?  or  grizzling 
over  twopence  ?  or  quarrelling  your  husband  ?  Come 
now,  which  was  it  ?  " 

"  Me  quarrel  with  my  man !  We  haven't  never  been 
disagreeable,  not  once,  since  we  went  to  church  a  pair  and 
came  back  a  couple.  I  don't  say  but  what  we  mayn't 
have  had  a  word  or  two  at  odd  times,  as  married  folk 
will." 

"  And  the  last  time  you  had  a  word  or  two  —  y'  inf air- 
nal  quibbler  —  was  it  just  before  your  last  spasm,  eh  ?  " 

"Well,  it  might  J  I  am  not  gainsaying  that:  but  you 
17 


258  HARD  CASH. 

said  quarrel,  says  you;  'quarrel'  it  were  your  word; 
and  I  defy  all  Barkton,  gentle  and  simple,  to  say  as  how 
me  and  my  master"  — 

"Whisht !  whisht!  Now,  jintlemen,  ye  see  what  the 
great  coming  sceince  —  the  sceince  of  healing  —  has  to 
contind  with.  The  dox  are  all  fools  ;  but  one  :  and  the 
pashints  are  lyres,  ivery  man  Jack.  N'  listen  me ;  y' 
have  got  a  disease  that  you  can't  eradicate ;  but  you  may 
muzzle  it  for  years,  and  die  of  something  quite  different 
when  your  time's  up." 

"  Like  enough,  sir.  If  yoxi  please,  ma'am.  Dr.  Stephen- 
son do  blame  my  indigestion  for  it." 

"Dr.  Stephenson's  an  ass." 

"  Dear  heart,  how  cantankerous  you  be.  To  be  sure, 
Dr.  Osmond  he  says  no :  it's  miiscular,  says  he." 

"Dr.  Osmond's  an  ijjit.  List  me;  you  mustn't  grizzle 
about  money ;  you  mustn't  gobble,  nor  drink  your  beer 
too  fast." 

"  You  are  wrong,  doctor ;  I  never  drink  no  beer :  it 
costs." 

"Your  catlap,  then.  And,  above  all,  no  grizzling! 
Go  to  church  whenever  you  can  without  losing  a  far- 
thing. It's  medicinal ;  soothes  the  brain,  and  takes  it 
off  worldly  cares.  And  have  no  words  with  your  hus- 
band :  or  he'll  outlive  you ;  it's  his  only  chance  of  get- 
ting the  last  word.  Care  killed  a  cat,  a  nanimal  with 
eight  lives  more  than  a  chatterbox.  If  you  worry  or 
excite  your  brain,  little  Maxley,  you  will  cook  your  own 
goose  —  by  a  quick  tire." 

"  Dear  heart,  these  be  unked  sayings.  Won't  ye  give 
me  nothing  to  make  me  better,  sir  ?  " 

"  iSTo  ;  I  never  tinker  ;  I  go  to  the  root :  you  may  buy 
a  vile  of  chlorofm  and  take  a  puff  if  you  feel  premonory 
symps  :  but  a  quiet  brain  is  your  only  real  chance.  Now 
slope ;  and  send  the  male  screw." 


HARD   CASH.  259 

"  Anan  ?  " 

"Your  husband." 

*'  That  I  will,  sir.  Your  sarvant,  doctor ;  your  sarvant, 
ma'am  ;  sarvant,  all  the  company." 

Mrs.  Dodd  hoped  the  poor  woman  had  nothing  very 
serious  the  matter. 

"  Oh,  it  is  a  mortal  disease,"  replied  Sampson,  as  cool 
as  a  cucumber.  "  She  has  got  angina  jnctoris,  or  brist- 
pang,  a  disorder  that  admirably  eximplifies  the  pretin- 
sions  of  midicine  t'  a  sceince."  And  with  this  he  dashed 
into  monologue. 

Maxley's  tall,  gaunt  form  came  slouching  in,  and  trav- 
ersed the  floor,  pounding  it  with  heavy  nailed  boots. 
He  seated  himself  gravely  at  Mrs.  Dodd's  invitation, 
took  a  handkerchief  out  of  his  hat,  wiped  his  face,  and 
surveyed  the  company,  grand  and  calm.  In  James  Max- 
ley  all  was  ponderous ;  his  head  was  huge ;  his  mouth, 
when  it  fairly  opened,  revealed  a  chasm,  and  thence 
issued  a  voice  naturally  stentorian  by  its  volume  and 
native  vigor.  But,  when  the  owner  of  this  incarnate 
bassoon  had  a  mind  to  say  something  sagacious,  he  sank 
at  once  from  his  habitual  roar  to  a  sound  scarce  above  a 
whisper;  a  contrast  mighty  comical  to  hear,  though  on 
paper  nil. 

"  Well,  what  is  it,  Maxley  ?     Rheumatism  again  ?  " 

"No,  that  it  ain't,"  bellowed  Maxley,  defiantly. 

"  What  then  ?     Come,  look  sharp." 

"Well,  then,  doctor,  I'll  tell  you.  I'm  sore  troubled 
• —  with  —  a  —  mouse." 

This  malady,  announced  in  the  tone  of  a  proclamation, 
and  coming  after  so  much  solemn  preparation,  amused 
the  party  considerably,  although  parturient  mountains 
had  ere  then  produced  muscipular  abortions. 

"A  mouse  ! "  inquired  Sampson,  disdainfully.  "Where  ? 
tip  your  sleeve  ?     Don't  come  to  me :   go  t'  a  sawbones 


260  HARD   CASH. 

and  have  your  arm  cut  off.  I've  seen  'em  mutilate  a 
pashint  for  as  little." 

Maxley  said  it  was  not  up  his  sleeve,  worse  luck. 

On  this,  Alfred  hazarded  a  conjecture.  Might  it  not 
have  gone  down  his  throat  ?  "  Took  his  potato-trap  for 
the  pantry-door.     Ha !  ha ! " 

"Ay,  I  hear  ye,  young  man,  a-laughing  at  your  own 
sport,"  said  Maxley,  winking  his  eye;  "but  tain't  the 
biggest  mouth  as  catches  the  most :  you  sits  yander  fit 
to  bust :  but  (with  a  roar  like  a  lion)  ye  never  offers  me 
none  on't,  neither  sup  nor  bit." 

At  this  sudden  turn  of  Mr.  Maxley's  wit,  light  and 
playful  as  a  tap  of  the  old  English  quarter-staff,  they 
were  a  little  staggered,  all  but  Edward,  who  laughed  and 
supplied  him  zealously  with  sandwiches. 

"  You're  a  gentleman,  you  are,"  said  Maxley,  looking 
full  at  Sampson  and  Alfred  to  point  the  contradistinction. 

Having  thus  disposed  of  his  satirists,  he  contemplated 
the  sandwiches  with  an  inquiring  and  philosophic  eye. 
"Well,"  said  he,  after  long  and  thoughtful  inspection, 
"  you  gentlefolks  won't  die  of  hard  work  ;  your  sarvants 
must  cut  the  very  meat  to  fit  your  mouths."  And  not 
to  fall  behind  the  gentry  in  a  great  and  useful  depart- 
ment of  intelligence,  he  made  precisely  one  mouthful  of 
each  sandwich. 

Mrs.  Dodd  was  secretly  amazed,  and  taking  care  not 
to  be  noticed  by  Maxley,  said  confidentially,  "  Monsieur 
avait  b'len  raison  ;  le  souris  a  passe  jKir  laP 

The  plate  cleared,  and  washed  down  with  a  tumbler  of 
port,  Maxley  resumed,  and  informed  the  doctor  that  the 
mouse  was  at  this  moment  in  his  garden  eating  his 
bulbs.  "  And  I  be  come  here  to  put  an  end  to  her,  if 
I've  any  luck  at  all." 

Sampson  told  him  he  needn't  trouble.  "Nature  has 
put  an  end  to  her,  as  long  as  her  body." 


HARD   CASH.  261 

Mr.  IMaxley  was  puzzled  for  a  moment ;  then  opened 
his  mouth  from  ear  to  ear  in  a  guffaw  that  made  the 
glasses  ring.  His  humor  was  perverse :  he  was  wit- 
proof  and  fun-proof ;  but  at  a  feeble  jest  would  some- 
times roar  like  a  lion  inflated  with  laughing-gas. 
Laughed  he  ever  so  loud  and  long,  he  always  ended 
abruptly  and  without  gradation ;  his  laugh  was  a  clean 
spadeful  dug  out  of  merriment.  He  resumed  his  gravity 
and  his  theme,  all  in  an  instant :  "  White  arsenic  she 
won't  look  at,  for  I've  tried  her;  but  they  tell  me  there's 
another  sweetmeat  come  up :  which  they  call  it  strick- 
nine." 

"  Hets  !  let  the  poor  beasty  alone.  Life's  as  sweet  tit 
as  tus." 

"If  you  was  a  gardener,  you'd  feel  for  the  bulbs, 
not  for  the  varmin,"  remonstrated  Maxley,  rather  arro- 
gantly. 

"  But  bein'  a  man  of  seeince,  I  feel  for  th'  higher  or- 
ganization. ]\Iice  are  a  part  of  nature  as  much  as 
market-gardeners." 

'"'  So  be  stoats  ;  and  adders ;  and  doctors." 

Sampson  appealed:  "Jintlemen,  here's  a  pretty  pa- 
shint:  reflects  on  our  lairned  profission,  and  it  never 
costs  him  a  guinea ;  for  the  dog  never  pays." 

'•  Don't  let  my  chaff  choke  ye,  doctor.  That  warn't 
meant  for  you  altogether.  So  if  ye  have  got  a  little  bit 
of  that  'ere  about  you  "  — 

"I'm  not  a  rat-catcher,  my  man:  I  don't  go  with  dith 
in  my  pocket,  like  the  surgeons  that  carry  a  lancet.  And 
if  I  had  murder  in  both  pockets,  you  shouldn't  get  any. 
Here's  a  greedy  dog !  got  a  thousand  pounds  in  the 
bank ;  and  grudges  his  healer  a  guinea,  and  his  mouse  a 
stand-up  bite." 

"Xow,  who  have  been  a-telling  3'ou  lies?"  inquired 
Maxley,  severely.     "  My  missus,  for  a  farthing.     I'm  not 


\ 


262  HARD   CASH. 

a  thousand-pound  man;  I'm  a  nine-hundred-pound  man: 
and  it's  all  safe  at  Hardie's : "  here  he  went  from  his 
roar  to  his  Avhisper,  "  I  don't  hold  Avith  Lunnon  banks  ; 
they  be  like  my  missus's  eggs  :  all  one  outside,  and  the 
rotten  ones  only  known  by  breaking.  "Well  (loud)  I  be 
pretty  close,  I  don't  deny  it;  but  (confidentially)  my 
missus  beats  me.  I  look  twice  at  a  penny  ;  but  she 
looks  twice  at  both  sides  of  a  halfpenny  before  she  will 
let  him  go :  and  it's  her  being  so  close  have  raised  all 
this  here  bobbery ;  and  so  I  told  her  ;  says  I,  '  Missus,  — 
if  you  would  but  leave  an  end  of  a  dip,  or  a  paring  of 
cheese,  about  your  cupboard,  she  would  bide  at  home ; 
but  you  hungers  her  so,  you  drives  her  a-field  right  on 
atop  o'  my  roots.'  —  'Oh,'  says  my  missus,  'if  /was  to 
be  as  wasteful  as  yott  be,  where  should  ive  be,  come 
Christmas  day  ?  Every  tub  on  its  own  bottom,'  says 
she ;  '  man  and  wife  did  ought  to  keep  theirselves  to 
theirselves,  she  to  the  house,  and  I  to  the  garden.'  — '  So 
be  it,'  says  I,  'and  by  the  same  toaken,  don't  let  me 
catch  them  "  Ns  "  in  my  garden  again,  or  I'll  spoil  their 
clucking  and  scratching,'  says  I,  'for  I'll  twist  their 
dalled  necks  ;  ye've  got  a  yard,'  says  I,  '  and  a  roost,  and 
likewise  a  turnpike,  you  and  your  poultry ;  so  bide  at 
home  the  lot ;  and  don't  come  a-scratching  o'  me  ; '  and 
with  that  we  had  a  ripput ;  and  she  took  one  of  her 
pangs  ;  and  then  I  behoved  to  knock  under ;  and  that  is 
alius  the  way  if  ye  quarrel  with  women  folk ;  they  are 
sworn  to  get  the  better  of  ye  by  hook  or  by  crook ;  now 
dooe  give  me  a  bit  of  that  ere,  to  quiet  this  here,  as  eats 
me  up  by  the  roots  and  sets  my  missus  and  me  by  the 
ears." 

"Jushcm  ac  tenacem proposiit  vimm,''^  whispered  Alfred 
to  Edward. 

Sampson  told  him  angrily  to  go  to  a  certain  great 
personage. 


HARD   CASH.  263 

"Not  afore  my  betters,"  whispered  Mr.  Maxley,  smit 
with  a  sudden  respect  for  etiquette.     "  Won't  ye  now  ?  " 

"  I'll  see  ye  hanged  first,  ye  miserly  old  assassin." 

"  Then  I  have  nothing  to  thank  you  for,"  roared  Maxley, 
and  made  his  adieus,  ignoring  with  marked  contempt 
the  false  physician  who  declined  to  doctor  the  foe  of  his 
domestic  peace  and  crocuses. 

"  Quite  a  passage  of  arms,"  said  Edward. 

"Yes,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd,  "  and  of  bludgeons  and  things, 
rather  than  the  polished  rapier.  What  expressions  to 
fall  from  two  highly  educated  gentlemen  !  Slope  — 
potato-trap  —  sawbones  —  catlap  — je  n^en  finirais  ^:)rt5." 

She  then  let  them  know  that  she  meditated  a  "dic- 
tionary of  jargon : "  in  hopes  that  its  bulk  might  strike 
terror  into  honest  citizens,  and  excite  an  anti-jargon 
league  to  save  the  English  language,  now  on  the  verge 
of  dissolution. 

Sampson  was  pleased  with  this  threat.  "Now,  that 
is  odd,"  said  he ;  "  why,  I  am  compilin'  a  vocablary 
myself.  I  call  't  th'  ass-ass-ins'  dickshinary  ;  showing 
how,  by  the  use  of  mealy-mouthed  an'  d'  exotic  phrases, 
knaves  can  lead  fools  by  th'  ear  t'  a  vilent  dith.  F'r 
instance  :  if  one  was  to  say  to  John  Bull,  '  Now  I'll  cut  a 
great  gash  in  your  arm  and  let  your  blood  run  till  ye 
drop  down  senseless,'  he'd  take  fright  and  say,  'Call 
another  time ! '  So  the  profissional  ass-ass-in  words  it 
thus :  '  I'll  bleed  you  from  a  large  orifice  till  th'  occur- 
rence of  syncope.'  All  right,  sis  John  :  he's  bled  from 
a  lar  j 'orifice,  and  dies  three  days  after  of  th'  assassin's 
knife  hid  in  a  sheath  o'  goose  grease.  But  I'll  blow  the 
gaff  with  my  dickshinary." 

"Meantime,  there  is  another  contribution  to  mine," 
said  Mrs.  Dodd. 

And  they  agreed  in  the  gayety  of  their  hearts  to  com- 
pare their  rival  lexicons. 


264  HARD  CASH. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

The  subsiding  sea  was  now  a  liquid  paradise :  it3 
great  pellucid  braes  and  hillocks  shone  with  the  sparkle 
and  the  hues  of  all  the  jewels  in  an  emperor's  crown. 
Imagine  —  after  three  days  of  inky  sea,  and  pitchy  sky, 
and  death's  deep  jaws  snapping  and  barely  missing  — 
ten  thousand  great  slopes  of  emerald,  aquamarine,  ame- 
thyst, and  topaz,  liquid,  alive,  and  dancing  jocundly 
beneath  a  gorgeous  sun  j  and  you  will  have  a  faint  idea 
of  what  met  the  eyes  and  hearts  of  the  rescued  looking 
out  of  that  battered,  jagged  ship,  upon  ocean  smiling 
back  to  smiling  heaven. 

Yet  one  man  felt  no  buoyancy,  nor  gush  of  joy.  He 
leaned  against  a  fragment  of  the  broken  bulwark,  con- 
fused between  the  sweetness  of  life  preserved,  and  the 
bitterness  of  treasure  lost,  his  wife's  and  children's 
treasured  treasure ;  benumbed  at  heart,  and  almost 
weary  of  the  existence  he  had  battled  for  so  stoutly. 
He  looked  so  moody,  and  answered  so  grimly  and  unlike 
himself,  that  they  all  held  aloof  from  him ;  heavy  heart 
among  so  many  joyful  ones,  he  was  in  true  solitude ;  the 
body  in  a  crowd,  the  soul  alone.  And  he  was  sore  as 
well  as  heavy;  for  of  all  the  lubberly  acts  he  had  ever 
known,  the  way  he  had  lost  liis  dear  ones'  fortune  seemed 
to  him  the  worst. 

A  voice  sounded  in  his  ear:  "Poor  thing;  she  has 
foundered." 

It  was  Fullalove  scanning  the  horizon  with  his  famous 
glass. 

"Foundered?      Who?"    said  Dodd;    though  he  did 


HARD   CASH.  265 

not  care  raucli  who  sank,  who  swam.  Then  he  remem- 
bered the  vessel,  whose  fiasliing  guns  had  shed  a  human 
ray  on  the  unearthly  horror  of  the  black  hurricane.  He 
looked  all  round. 

Blank ! 

Ay,  she  had  perished  with  all  hands.  The  sea  had 
swallowed  her  and  spared  him  ;  ungrateful. 

This  turned  his  mind  sharply.  Suppose  the  Agra  had 
gone  down,  the  money  would  be  lost  as  now,  and  his  life 
into  the  bargain,  a  life  dearer  to  all  at  home  than  millions 
of  gold:  he  prayed  inwardly  to  Heaven  for  gratitude, 
and  goodness  to  feel  its  mercy.  This  softened  him  a 
little  ;  and  his  heart  swelled  so,  he  wished  he  was  a 
woman  to  cry  over  his  children's  loss  for  an  hour,  and 
then  shake  all  off  and  go  through  his  duty  somehow ;  for 
now  he  was  paralyzed,  and  all  seemed  ended.  Next, 
nautical  superstition  fastened  on  him.  That  pocket- 
book  of  his  was  Jonah;  it  had  to  go,  or  else  the  ship ;  the 
moment  it  did  go,  the  storm  had  broken  as  by  magic. 

Now,  superstition  is  generally  stronger  than  rational 
religion,  whether  they  lie  apart,  or  together  in  one  mind; 
and  this  superstitious  notion  did  something  toward  steel- 
ing the  poor  man.  "  Come,"  said  he  to  himself,  "  my 
loss  has  saved  all  these  poor  souls  on  board  this  ship.  So 
be  it !  Heaven's  will  be  done  !  I  must  bustle,  or  else 
go  mad." 

He  turned-to  and  worked  like  a  horse ;  and  with  his 
own  hands  helped  the  men  to  rig  parallel  ropes  —  a  sub- 
stitute for  bulwarks  —  till  the  perspiration  ran  down 
him. 

Bayliss  now  reported  the  well  nearly  dry,  and  Dodd 
was  about  to  bear  up  and  make  sail  again,  when  one  of 
the  ship-boys,  a  little  fellow  with  a  bright  eye  and  a  chin 
like  a  monkey's,  came  up  to  him  and  said,  — 

"Please,  captain  !  "  then  glared  with  awe  at  what  he 
had  douB;  and  broke  down. 


266  HARD  CASH. 

"  Well,  my  little  man  ?  "  said  Dodd,  gently. 

Thus  encouraged,  the  boy  gave  a  great  gulp,  and  burst 
in  a  brogue :  "  Och,  your  arnr,  sure  there's  no  rudder  on 
her  at  all  barrin  the  tiller." 

'•'  What  d'ye  mean  ?  " 

'^  Don't  murrder  me,  your  arnr,  and  I'll  tell  ye.  It's 
meself  looked  over  the  starrn  just  now ;  and  I  seen  there 
was  no  rudder  at  all,  at  all.  Mille  diaoul,  sis  I ;  ye  old 
bitch,  I'll  tell  his  arnr  what  y'are  after,  slipping  your 
rudder  like  my  granny's  list  shoe,  I  will." 

Dodd  ran  to  the  helm  and  looked  down ;  the  brat  was 
right :  the  blows  which  had  so  endangered  the  ship,  had 
broken  the  rudder,  and  the  sea  had  washed  away  more 
than  half  of  it.  The  sight  and  the  reflection  made  him 
faintish  for  a  moment.  Death  passing  so  very  close 
to  a  man  sickens  him  afterwards ;  unless  he  has  the  luck 
to  be  brainless. 

"  What  is  your  name,  urchin  ?  " 

"Ned  Murphy,  sir." 

"  Very  well.  Murphy,  then  you  are  a  fine  little  fellow, 
and  have  wiped  all  our  eyes  in  the  ship  ;  run  and  send 
the  carpenter  aft." 

"Ay,  ay,  sir." 

The  carpenter  came.  Like  most  artisans,  he  was  clever 
in  a  groove ;  take  him  out  of  that,  and  lo  !  a  mule,  a  pig, 
an  owl.  He  was  not  only  unable  to  invent,  but  so  stiffly 
disinclined ;  a  makeshift  rudder  was  clean  out  of  his 
way ;  and,  as  his  whole  struggle  was  to  get  away  from 
every  suggestion  Dodd  made,  back  to  groove  aforesaid, 
the  thing  looked  hopeless.  Then  Fullalove,  who  had 
stood  by  grinning,  offered  to  make  a  bunkum  rudder, 
provided  the  carpenter  and  mates  were  put  under  his 
orders.  "  But,"  said  he,  "  I  must  bargain  they  shall  be 
disrated  if  they  attempt  to  reason."  —  "  That  is  no  more 
than  fair,"  said  Dodd.     The  Yankee  inventor  demanded 


HARD   CASH.  267 

a  spare  maincap,  and  cut  away  one  end  of  the  square 
piece,  so  as  to  make  it  fit  the  stern-post ;  through  the 
circle  of  the  cap  he  introduced  a  spare  niizzen  tojDmast ; 
to  this  he  seized  a  length  of  junk,  another  to  that,  another 
to  that,  and  so  on  :  to  the  outside  junk  he  seized  a  spare 
maintop-gallant  mast,  and  this  conglomerate,  being  now 
nearly  as  broad  as  a  rudder,  he  planked  over  all.  The 
sea  by  this  time  was  calm  ;  he  got  the  machine  over 
the  stern,  and  had  the  square  end  of  the  cap  bolted  to 
the  stern-post.  He  had  already  fixed  four  spans  of  nine- 
inch  hawser  to  the  sides  of  the  makeshift,  two  fastened 
to  tackles,  which  led  into  the  gunroom  ports,  and  were 
bowsed  taut  —  these  kept  the  lower  part  of  the  makeshift 
close  to  the  stern-post — and  two,  to  which  guys  Avere 
now  fixed  and  led  through  the  aftermost  ports  on  to  the 
quarter-deck,  where  luff  tackles  were  attached  to  them, 
by  means  of  which  the  makeshift  was  to  be  worked  as  a 
rudder. 

Some  sail  was  now  got  on  the  ship,  and  she  was  found 
to  steer  very  well.  Dodd  tried  her  on  every  tack ;  and 
at  last  ordered  Sharpe  to  make  all  sail,  and  head  for  the 
Cape. 

This  electrified  the  first  mate.  The  breeze  was  very 
faint  but  southerly,  and  the  Mauritius  under  their  lee. 
They  could  make  it  in  a  night,  and  there  refit,  and  ship 
a  new  rudder.  He  suggested  the  danger  of  sailing  six- 
teen hundred  miles,  steered  by  a  Gimcrack,  and  implored 
Dodd  to  put  into  port.  Dodd  answered  with  a  rough- 
ness and  a  certain  wildness  never  seen  in  him  before: 
"  Danger,  sir  !  There  will  be  no  more  foul  weather  this 
voyage ;  Jonah  is  overboard."  Sharpe  stared  an  inquiry. 
"  I  tell  you  we  sha'n't  lower  our  topgallants  once  from 
this  to  the  Cape  :  Jonah  is  overboard  ;  "  and  he  slapped 
his  forehead  in  despair;  then,  stamping  impatiently  with 
his  foot,  told  Sharpe  his  duty  was  to  obey  orders,  not 


268  HARD   CASH. 

discuss  them.  "Certainly,  sir,"  said  Sharpe,  sullenly, 
and  went  out  of  the  cabin  with  serious  thoughts  of  com- 
municating to  the  other  mates  an  alarming  suspicion 
about  Dodd,  that  now,  for  the  first  time,  crossed  his 
mind.  But  long  habit  of  discipline  prevailed,  and  he 
made  all  sail  on  the  ship,  and  bore  away  for  the  Cape, 
with  a  heavy  heart :  the  sea  was  like  a  mill-pond,  but  in 
that  he  saw  only  its  well-known  treachery,  to  lead  them 
on  to  this  unparalleled  act  of  madness  ;  each  sail  lie 
hoisted  seemed  one  more  agent  of  destruction  rising  at 
his  own  suicidal  command. 

Towards  evening  it  became  nearly  dead  calm.  The 
sea  heaved  a  little,  but  was  waveless,  glassy,  and  the 
color  of  a  rose,  incredibly  brave  and  delicate. 

The  lookout  reported  pieces  of  wreck  to  windward. 
As  the  ship  was  making  so  little  way,  Dodd  beat  up 
towards  them ;  he  feared  it  was  a  British  ship  that  had 
foundered  in  the  storm,  and  thought  it  his  duty  to  ascer- 
tain and  carry  the  sad  news  home.  In  two  tacks  they 
got  near  enough  to  see  with  their  glasses  that  the  frag- 
ments belonged,  not  to  a  stranger,  but  to  the  Agra  her- 
self ;  there  was  one  of  her  water-butts,  and  a  broken  mast 
with  some  rigging;  and  as  more  wreck  was  descried 
coming  in  at  a  little  distance,  Dodd  kept  the  ship  close 
to  the  wind  to  inspect  it :  on  drifting  near,  it  proved  to 
be  several  pieces  of  the  bulwark,  and  a  mahogany  table 
out  of  the  cuddy.  This  sort  of  flotsam  was  not  worth 
delaying  the  ship  to  pick  it  up  ;  so  Dodd  made  sail 
again,  steering  now  south-east. 

He  had  sailed  about  half  a  mile  when  the  lookout 
hailed  the  deck  again. 

"  A  man  in  the  water!" 

"  Whereabouts  ?  " 

*'  A  short  league  on  the  weather  quarter." 

"  Oh,  we  can't  beat  to  windward  for  Aiw,"  said  Sharpe. 
"  He  is  dead  long  ago." 


HARD   CASH.  269 

•'Holds  his  head  very  high  for  a  corpse,"  said  the 
lookout. 

"  I'll  soon  know,"  cried  Dodd.  "  Lower  the  gig :  I'll 
go  myself." 

The  gig  was  lowered,  and  six  swift  rowers  pulled  him 
to  windward,  while  the  ship  kept  on  her  course. 

It  is  most  unusual  for  a  captain  to  leave  the  ship  at 
sea  on  such  petty  errands  ;  but  Dodd  half  hoped  the 
man  might  be  alive.  And  he  was  so  unhappy  ;  and,  like 
his  daughter,  who  probably  derived  the  trait  from  him, 
grasped  instinctively  at  a  chance  of  doing  kindness  to 
some  poor  fellow  alive  or  dead.  That  would  soothe  his 
own  sore,  good  heart. 

When  they  had  pulled  about  two  miles,  the  sun  was 
sinking  into  the  horizon.  "  Give  way,  men,"  said  Dodd, 
"  or  we  shall  not  be  able  to  see  him."  The  men  bent  to 
their  oars,  and  made  the  boat  fly. 

Presently  the  coxswain  caught  sight  of  an  object 
bobbing  on  the  water  abeam. 

"Why,  that  must  be  it,"  said  he:  "the  lubber!  to 
take  it  for  a  man's  head.  Why,  it  is  notliing  but  a 
thundering  old  bladder  speckled  white." 

"  What  ?  "  cried  Dodd,  and  fell  a-trembling.  "  Steer 
for  it !     Give  way  ! " 

"  Ay,  ay,  sir  ! " 

They  soon  came  alongside  the  bladder,  and  the  cox- 
swain grabbed  it.  "  Hallo  !  here's  something  lashed  to 
it :  a  bottle  I " 

"  Give  it  me  ! "  gasped  Dodd  in  a  voice  choked  with 
agitation.  "  Give  it  me !  Back  to  the  ship  !  Fly  !  Fly  ! 
Cut  her  off,  or  she'll  give  us  the  slip  now.^' 

He  never  spoke  a  word  more,  but  sat  in  a  stupor  of 
joyful  wonder. 

They  soon  caught  the  ship :  he  got  into  his  cabin,  he 
scarce  knew  how,  broke  the  bottle  to  atoms,  and  found 


270  HARD   CASH. 

the  indomitable  cash  iminjured.  With  trembling  hands 
he  restored  it  to  its  old  place  in  his  bosom,  and  sewed  it 
tighter  than  ever.  Until  he  felt  it  there  once  more,  he 
could  hardly  realize  a  stroke  of  good-fortune  that  seemed 
miraculous,  though,  in  reality,  it  was  less  strange  than 
the  way  he  had  lost  it,i  but,  now  laid  bodily  on  his 
heart,  it  set  his  bosom  on  fire :  oh,  the  bright  eye,  the 
bounding  pulse,  the  buoyant  foot,  the  reckless  joy  !  He 
slapped  Sharpe  on  the  back  a  little  vulgarly  for  him. 

"  Jonah  is  on  board  again,  old  fellow  :  look  out  for 
squalls."  He  uttered  this  foreboding  in  a  tone  of  triumph, 
and  with  a  gay,  elastic  recklessness  which  harmonized 
so  well  with  his  makeshift  rudder,  that  Sharpe  groaned 
aloud,  and  wished  himself  under  any  captain  in  the  world 
but  this,  and  in  any  other  ship.  He  looked  round  to 
make  sure  he  was  not  watched,  and  then  tapped  his  fore- 
head significantly.  This  somewhat  relieved  him,  and  he 
did  his  duty  smartly  for  a  man  going  to  the  bottom  with 
his  eyes  open. 

But  ill-luck  is  not  to  be  bespoken  any  more  than  good. 
The  Agra's  seemed  to  have  blown  itself  out :  the  wind 
veered  to  the  south-west,  and  breathed  steadily  in  that 
quarter  for  ten  days.  The  top-gallant  sails  were  never 
lowered  nor  shifted  day  nor  night  all  that  time,  and  not 
a  single  danger  occurred  between  this  and  the  Cape, 
except  to  a  monkey,  which  I  fear  I  must  relate  on 
account  of  its  remoter  consequences.  One  fine  after- 
noon everybody  was  on  deck  amusing  themselves  as 
they  could;  Mrs.  Beresford,  to  wit,  was  being  flattered 
under  the  poop  awning  by  Kenealy.  The  feud  between 
her  and  Dodd  continued,  but  under  a  false  impression. 
The  lady  had  one  advantage  over  the  gentler  specimens 
of  her  sex  :  she  v/as  never  deterred  from  a  kind  action 
by  want  of  pluck,  as  they  are.     Pluck  ?     Aquilina  was 

•  The  Agra,  being  much  larger  than  the  bottle,  had  drift«d  faster  to  lee 
ward  in  the  storm. 


HARD   CASH.  271 

brimful  of  it.  When  she  found  Dodd  was  wounded,  she 
cast  her  wrongs  to  the  wind,  and  offered  to  go  and  nurse 
him.  Her  message  came  at  an  unlucky  moment,  and  by 
an  unlucky  messenger:  the  surgeon  said  hastily,  "I 
can't  have  him  bothered."  The  stupid  servant  reported, 
"  He  can't  be  worried ;  "  and  Mrs.  Beresford,  thinking 
Dodd  had  a  hand  in  this  answer,  was  bitterly  mortified, 
and  with  some  reason.  She  would  have  forgiven  him, 
though,  if  he  had  died,  but,  as  he  lived,  she  thought  she 
had  a  right  to  detest  him,  and  did,  and  showed  her  sen- 
timents like  a  lady,  by  never  speaking  to  liim,  nor  look- 
ing at  him,  but  ignoring  him  with  frigid  magnificence  on 
his  own  quarter-deck. 

Now,  among  the  crew  of  this  ship  was  a  favorite 
goat,  good-tempered,  affectionate,  playful,  but  a  single 
vice  counterbalanced  all  his  virtues :  he  took  a  drop. 
A  year  or  two  ago  some  light-hearted  tempter  taught  him 
to  sip  grog :  he  took  to  it  kindly,  and  was  now  arrived 
at  such  a  pitch,  that  at  grog-time  he  used  to  butt  his 
way  in  among  the  sailors,  and  get  close  to  the  canteen, 
and,  by  arrangement,  an  allowance  was  always  served  him. 
On  imbibing  it  he  passed,  with  quadrupedal  rapidity, 
through  three  stages,  the  absurd,  the  choleric,  the  sleepy, 
and  was  never  his  own  goat  again  until  he  awoke  from 
the  latter.  Now  ]\Iaster  Fred  Beresford  encountered  him 
in  the  second  stage  of  irabriety,  and,  being  a  rough 
playfellow,  tapped  his  nose  with  a  battledoor.  Instantly 
Billy  butted  at  him ;  mischievous  Fred  screamed  and 
jumped  on  the  bulwarks.  Pot-angry  Billy  went  at  him 
there,  whereupon  the  young  gentleman,  with  an  eldrich 
screech,  and  a  comparative  estimate  of  perils  that 
smacked  of  inexperience,  fled  into  the  sea,  at  the  very 
moment  when  his  anxious  mother  was  rushing  to  save 
him.  She  uttered  a  scream  of  agony,  and  would  act- 
ually have  followed  him,  but  was  held   back   uttering 


272  HARD   CASH. 

shriek  after  shriek,  that  pierced  every  heart  within 
hearing. 

But  Dodd  saw  the  boy  go  overboard,  and  vaulted  over 
the  bulwark  near  the  helm,  roared  in  the  very  air, 
"  Heave  the  ship  to  !  "  and  went  splash  into  the  water 
about  ten  yards  from  the  place  :  he  was  soon  followed 
by  Vespasian,  and  a  boat  was  lowered  as  quickly  as  pos- 
sible. Dodd  caught  sight  of'  a  broad  straw  hat  on  the 
top  of  a  wave,  swam  lustily  to  it,  and  found  Freddy 
inside :  it  was  tied  under  his  chin,  and  would  have 
floated  Goliath.  Dodd  turned  to  the  ship,  saw  the  poor 
mother  with  white  face  and  arras  outstretched  as  if  she 
would  fly  at  them,  and  held  the  urchin  up  high  to  her 
with  a  joyful  "hurrah."  The  ship  seemed  alive  and  to 
hurrah  in  return  with  giant  voice.  The  boat  soon  picked 
them  up,  and  Dodd  came  up  the  side  .with  Freddy  in 
his  arms,  and  placed  him  in  his  mother's  with  honest 
pride  and  deep  parental  sympathy. 

Guess  how  she  scolded  and  caressed  her  child  all  in  a 
breath,  and  sobbed  over  him  !  For  this  no  human  pen 
has  ever  told,  nor  ever  will.  All  I  can  just  manage  to 
convey  is,  that,  after  she  had  all  but  eaten  the  little 
torment,  she  suddenly  dropped  him,  and  made  a  great 
maternal  rush  at  Dodd.  She  flung  her  arms  round  him, 
and  kissed  him  eagerly,  almost  fiercely :  then,  carried 
away  wild  by  mighty  nature,  she  patted  him  all  over  in 
the  strangest  way,  and  kissed  his  waistcoat,  his  arms, 
his  hands,  and  rained  tears  of  joy  and  gratitude  on 
them. 

Dodd  was  quite  overpowered :  "  No  !  no  ! "  said  he. 
"Don't,  now  !  pray,  don't!  There,  I  know,  my  dear,  I 
know :  I'm  a  father."  And  he  was  very  near  whimper- 
ing himself,  but  recovered  the  man  and  the  commander, 
and  said  soothingly,  "  There,  there ! "  and  handed  her 
tenderly  down  to  her  cabin. 


HABD  CASH.  273 

All  this  time  he  had  actually  forgotten  the  packet ; 
but  now  a  horrible  fear  came  on  him.  He  hurried  to  his 
own  cabin  and  examined  it.  A  little  salt  water  had 
oozed  through  the  bullet-hole  and  discolored  the  leather, 
but  that  was  all.     He  breathed  again. 

"  Thank  Heaven  I  forgot  all  about  it !  "  said  he :  "  it 
would  have  made  a  cur  of  me." 

La  Beresford's  petty  irritation  against  Dodd  melted 
at  once  before  so  great  a  thing :  she  longed  to  make 
friends  with  him,  but  for  once  felt  timid.  It  struck  her 
now  all  of  a  sudden  that  she  had  been  misbehaving. 
However,  she  caught  Dodd  alone  on  the  deck,  and  said 
to  him  softly,  "  I  want  so  to  end  our  quarrel."' 

"  Our  quarrel,  madam  !  •'  said  he ;  "  why,  1  know  of 
none ;  oh,  about  the  light,  eh  ?  Well,  you  see  the  mas- 
ter of  a  ship  is  obliged  to  be  a  tyrant  in  some  things." 

"I  make  no  complaint,"  said  the  lady  hastily,  and 
hung  her  head.  "  All  I  ask  j'ou  is  to  forgive  one  who 
has  behaved  like  a  fool,  without  even  the  excuse  of 
being  one  ;  and  —  will  you  give  me  your  hand,  sir  ?  " 

"Ay,  and  with  all  my  heart,"  said  Dodd  warmly, 
enclosing  the  soft  little  hand  in  his  honest  grasp. 

And  with  no  more  ado  these  two  highflyers  ended 
one  of  those  little  misunderstandings  petty  spirits  nurse 
into  a  feud. 

The  ship  being  in  port  at  the  Cape,  and  two  hundred 
hammers  tapping  at  her,  Dodd  went  ashore  in  search  of 
Captain  Robarts,  and  made  the  Agra  over  to  him  in  the 
friendliest  way,  adding  warmly  that  he  had  found  every 
reason  to  be  satisfied  with  the  officers  and  the  crew.  To 
his  surprise,  Captain  Robarts  received  all  this  ungra- 
ciously. "You  ought  to  have  remained  on  board,  sir, 
and  made  me  over  the  command  on  the  quarter-deck." 
Dodd  replied,  politely,  that  it  would  have  been  more 
formal.  "  Suppose  I  return  immediately,  and  man  the 
18 


274  HARD   CASH. 

side  for  you,  and  then  you  board  her,  say  in  half  an 
liour." 

"  I  shall  come  when  I  like,"  replied  Robarts,  crustily. 

"■  And  when  will  you  like  to  come  ?  "  inquired  Dodd 
with  imperturbable  good-humor. 

"  Now :  this  moment ;  and  I'll  trouble  you  to  come 
along  with  me." 

"  Certainly,  sir." 

They  got  a  boat,  and  went  out  to  the  ship.  On  com- 
ing alongside,  Dodd  thought  to  meet  his  wishes  by 
going  first  and  receiving  him,  but  the  jealous,  cross- 
grained  fellow  shoved  roughly  before  him  and  led  the 
way  up  the  ship's  side.  Sharpe  and  the  rest  saluted 
him.  He  did  not  return  the  salute,  but  said  hoarsely, 
"  Turn  the  hands  up  to  muster." 

When  they  were  all  aft,  he  noticed  one  or  two  with 

their  caps  on.     "  Hats  off,  and  be to  you  ! "  cried 

he.  "  Do  you  know  where  you  are  ?  Do  you  know  who 
you  are  looking  at  ?  If  not,  I'll  show  you.  I'm  here  to 
restore  discipline  to  this  ship :  so  mind  how  you  run 
athwart  my  hawse  :  don't  you  play  with  the  bull,  my 

men,  or  you'll  find  his  horns sharp.     Yipe  down ! 

Now  you,  sir,  bring  me  the  log-book." 

He  ran  his  eye  over  it,  and  closed  it  contemptuously. 
"  Pirates  and  hurricanes  !  I  never  fell  in  with  pirates 
nor  hurricanes :  I  have  heard  of  a  breeze,  and  a  gale, 
but  I  never  knew  a  seaman  worth  his  salt  say  'hurri- 
cane.' Get  another  log-book,  Mr.  Sharpe ;  put  down 
that  it  begins  this  day  at  noon,  and  enter  that  Captain 
Robarts  came  on  deck,  found  the  ship  in  a  miserable 
condition,  took  the  command,  mustered  the  officers  and 
men,  and  stopped  the  ship's  company's  grog  for  a  week, 
for  receiving  him  with  hats  on." 

Even  Sharpe,  that  walking  Obedience,  was  taken  aback. 
"Stop — the  ship's  company's  —  grog —  for  a  week,  sir?" 


HARD  CASH.  275 

"  Yes,  sir,  for  a  week ;  and  if  you  fling  my  orders  back 
in  my  face  instead  of  clapping  on  sail  to  execute  them, 
I'll  have  you  towed  ashore  on  a  grating.  Your  name  is 
Sharpe :  well,  my  name  is  Damnedsharpe,  and  so  you'll 
find." 

In  short,  the  new  captain  came  down  on  the  ship  like 
a  blight. 

He  was  especially  hard  on  Dodd  :  nothing  that  com- 
mander had  done  was  right,  nor,  had  he  done  the  con- 
trary, would  that  have  been  right ;  he  was  disgracefully 
behind  time  ;  and  he  ought  to  have  put  in  to  the  Isle  of 
France,  which  would  have  retarded  him :  his  rope  bul- 
warks were  lubberly ;  his  rudder  a  disgrace  to  naviga- 
tion :  he,  Robarts,  was  not  so  green  as  to  believe  that 
any  master  had  really  sailed  sixteen  hundred  miles  with 
it,  and,  if  he  had,  more  shame  for  him.  Briefly,  a 
marine  criticaster. 

All  this  was  spoken  at  Dodd,  —  a  thing  no  male  does 
unless  he  is  an  awful  snob,  — and  grieved  him,  it  was  so 
unjust.  He  withdrew  wounded  to  the  little  cabin  he 
was  entitled  to  as  a  passenger,  and  hugged  his  treasure 
for  comfort.  He  patted  the  pocket-book,  and  said  to  it, 
"  Kever  you  mind.  The  greater  Tartar  he  is,  the  less 
likely  to  sink  you,  or  run  you  on  a  lee  shore." 

"With  all  his  love  of  discipline,  Robarts  was  not  so 
fond  of  the  ship  as  Dodd. 

While  his  repairs  were  going  on,  he  was  generally 
ashore,  and  by  this  means  missed  a  visit.  Commodore 
Collier,  one  of  the  smartest  sailors  afloat,  espied  the 
Yankee  makeshift  from  the  quarter-deck  of  his  vessel, 
the  Salamanca,  fifty  guns.  In  ten  minutes  he  was  under 
the  Agra's  stern  inspecting  it,  then  came  on  board,  and 
was  received  in  form  by  Sharpe  and.  the  other  officers 
"  Are  you  the  master  of  this  ship,  sir  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  No,  commodore.  I  am  the  first  mate :  the  captain 
is  ashore." 


276  HARD   CASH. 

"  I  am  sorry  for  it.     I  want  to  talk  about  his  rudder." 

"  Oh,  he  had  nothing  to  do  with  that,"  replied  Sharpe 
eagerly :  "  that  was  our  dear  old  captain :  he  is  on 
board.  Young  gentleman,  ask  Captain  Dodd  to  oblige 
me  by  coming  on  deck.     Hy  !  and  Mr.  Fullalove,  too." 

"  Young  gentleman  ?  "  inquired  Collier.  "  What  the 
devil  officer  is  that?" 

'•  That  is  a  name  we  give  the  middies ;  I  don't  know 
why." 

'■Nor  I  neither  ;  ha  I  ha!" 

Dodd  and  Fullalove  came  on  deck,  and  Commodore 
Collier  bestowed  the  highest  compliments  on  the  "make- 
shift." Dodd  begged  him  to  transfer  them  to  the  real 
inventor,  and  introduced  Fullalove. 

'■  Ay,"  said  Collier,  '•  I  know  you  Yankees  are  very 
handy.  I  lost  my  rudder  at  sea  once,  and  had  to  ship  a 
makeshift :  but  it  was  a  curs't  complicated  thing ;  not 
a  patch  upon  yours,  Mr.  Fullalove.  Yours  is  ingenious 
and  simj^le.  Ship  has  been  in  action,  I  see  :  pray  how 
was  that,  if  I  may  be  so  bold  ?  " 

"Pirates,  commodore,"  said  Sharpe.  "  We  fell  in  with 
a  brace  of  Portuguese  devils,  latine-rigged,  and  carried  ten 
guns  apiece,  in  the  Straits  of  Gaspar :  fought  'em  from 
noon  till  sundown,  riddled  one,  and  ran  down  the  other 
and  sunk  her  in  a  moment.  That  was  all  your  doing, 
captain ;  so  don't  try  to  shift  it  on  other  people ;  for  we 
won't  stand  it." 

"If  he  denies  it,  I  won't  believe  him,"  said  Collier: 
"  for  he  has  got  it  in  his  eye.  Gentlemen,  will  you  do 
me  the  honor  to  dine  with  me  to-day  on  board  the  flag- 
ship ?  " 

Dodd  and  Fullalove  accepted.  Sharpe  declined,  with 
regret,  on  the  score  of  duty.  And  as  the  cocked  hat 
went  down  the  side,  after  saluting  him  politely,  he 
could  not  help  thinking  to  himself  what  a  difference 


HARD   CASH.  277 

between  a  real  captain,  who  had  something  to  be  proud 
of,  and  his  own  unlicked  cub  of  a  skipper  with  the 
manners  of  a  pilot-boat.  He  told  Robarts  the  next  day : 
Robarts  said  nothing,  but  his  face  seemed  to  turn 
greenish ;  and  it  embittered  his  hatred  of  Dodd  the 
inoffensive. 

It  is  droll  and  sad,  but  true,  that  Christendom  is  full 
of .  men  in  a  hurry  to  hate.  And  a  fruitful  cause  is 
jealousy.  The  schoolmen  —  or  rather  certain  of  the 
schoolmen,  for  nothing  is  much  shallower  than  to  speak 
of  all  those  disputants  as  one  school — defined  woman: 
"a  featherless  biped  vehemently  addicted  to  jealousy." 
Whether  she  is  more  featherless  than  the  male,  can  be 
decided  at  a  trifling  expense  of  time,  money,  and  reason : 
you  have  but  to  go  to  court.  But  as  for  envy  and 
jealousy,  1  think  it  is  pure,  unobservant,  antique  cant 
Avhich  has  fixed  them  on  the  female  character  distinc- 
tively. As  a  molehill  to  a  mountain,  is  women's  jeal- 
ousy to  men's.  Agatha  may  have  a  host  of  virtues  and 
graces,  and  yet  her  female  acquaintance  will  not  hate 
her,  provided  she  has  the  moderation  to  abstain  from 
being  downright  pretty.  She  may  sing  like  an  angel, 
paint  like  an  angel,  talk,  write,  nurse  the  sick,  —  all  like 
an  angel,  and  not  rouse  the  devil  in  her  fair  sisters  :  so 
long  as  she  does  not  dress  like  an  angel.  But,  the  minds 
of  men  being  much  larger  than  women's,  yet  very  little 
greater,  they  hang  jealousy  on  a  thousand  pegs.  Where 
there  was  no  peg,  I  have  seen  them  do  with  a  pin. 

Captain  Robarts  took  a  pin :  ran  it  into  his  own  heart, 
and  hung  that  sordid  passion  on  it. 

He  would  get  rid  of  all  the  Doddites  before  he  sailed. 
He  insulted  Mr.  Tickell,  so  that  he  left  the  service,  and 
entered  a  mercantile  house  ashore :  he  made  several  of 
the  best  men  desert :  and  the  ship  went  to  sea  short  of 
hands.     This  threw  heavier  work  on  the  crew ;  and  led 


^78  HARD   CASH. 

to  many  p-anishments,  and  a  steady  current  of  abuse. 
Sharpe  became  a  mere  machine,  always  obeying,  never 
speaking :  Grey  was  put  under  arrest  for  remonstrating 
against  ungentlemanly  language :  and  Bayliss,  being  at 
bottom  of  the  same  breed  as  Robarts,  fell  into  his  humor, 
and  helped  hector  the  petty  officers  and  men.  The  crew, 
depressed  and  irritated,  went  through  their  duties  puUy- 
hauly-wise.  There  was  no  song  under  the  forecastle  in 
the  first  watch,  and  often  no  grog  on  the  mess-table  at 
one  bell.  Dodd  never  came  on  the  quarter-deck  without 
being  reminded  he  was  only  a  passenger,  and  the  ship 
was  now  under  naval  discipline.  "  /  was  reared  in  the 
royal  navy,  sir,"  would  Robarts  say  :  "  second  lieutenant 
aboard  tlie  Atalanta :  that  is  the  school,  sir,  that  is  the 
only  school  that  breeds  seamen."  Dodd  bore  scores  of 
similar  taunts  as  a  Newfoundland  puts  up  with  a  terrier 
in  office :  he  seldom  replied,  and,  when  he  did,  in  a  few 
quiet  dignified  words  that  gave  no  handle. 

Robarts,  who  bore  the  name  of  a  lucky  captain,  had 
fair  weather  all  the  way  to  St.  Helena. 

The  guard-ship  at  this  island  was  the  Salamanca. 
She  had  left  the  Cape  a  week  before  the  Agra.  Captain 
Robarts,  with  his  characteristic  good  breeding,  went  to 
anchor  in-shore  of  Her  Majesty's  ship:  the  wind  failed 
at  a  critical  moment,  and  a  foul  became  inevitable: 
Collier  was  on  his  quarter-deck,  and  saw  what  would 
happen  long  before  Robarts  did;  he  gave  the  needful 
orders,  and  it  was  beautiful  to  see  how  in  half  a  minute 
the  frigate's  guns  were  run  in,  her  ports  lowered,  her 
yards  toppled  on  end,  and  a  spring  carried  out  and" 
hauled  on. 

The  Agra  struck  abreast  her  own  forechains  on  the 
Salamanca's  quarter. 

(Pipe.)     "  Boarders   away.     Tomahawks !    cut    every- 
thing tliat  holds  !"  was  heard  from  the  frigate's  quarter- 


HARD   CASH.  279 

deck.  Rush  came  a  boarding  party  on  to  the  merchant 
ship,  and  hacked  away  without  mercy  all  her  lower  rig- 
ging that  held  on  to  the  frigate,  signal  halliards  and  all ; 
others  boomed  her  otf  with  capstan  bars,  etc.,  and  in 
two  minutes  the  ships  were  clear.  A  lieutenant  and 
boat's  crew  came  for  Robarts,  and  ordered  him  on  board 
the  Salamanca,  and,  to  make  sure  of  his  coming,  took 
him  back  with  them.  He  found  Commodore  Collier 
standing  stiff  as  a  ramrod  on  his  quarter-deck.  "  Are 
you  the  master  of  the  Agra?"  (His  quick  eye  had 
recognized  her  in  a  moment.) 

"I  am,  sir." 

"Then  she  was  commanded  by  a  seaman,  and  is  com- 
manded by  a  lubber.  Don't  apply  for  your  papers  this 
week;  for  you  won't  get  them.  Good-morning.  Take 
him  awa3^" 

They  returned  Robarts  to  his  ship ;  and  a  suppressed 
grin  on  a  score  of  faces  showed  him  the  clear  command- 
ing tones  of  the  commodore  had  reached  his  own  deck. 
He  soothed  himself  by  stopping  the  men's  grog  and 
mast-heading  three  midshipmen  that  same  afternoon. 

The  night  before  he  weighed  anchor,  this  disciplina- 
rian was  drinking  very  late  in  a  low  public-house.  There 
was  not  much  moon,  and  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  ship 
did  not  see  the  gig  coming  till  it  was  nearly  alongside  : 
then  all  was  done  in  a  flurry. 

"  Hy !  man  the  side  !  Lanterns  there  !  Jump,  you 
boys !  or  you'll  catch  pepper." 

The  boys  did  jump,  and  little  Murphy,  not  knowing 
the  surgeon  had  ordered  the  ports  to  be  drooped,  bounded 
over  the  bulwarks  like  an  antelope,  lighted  on  the  mid- 
ship port,  which  stood  at  this  angle/,  and  glanced  off 
into  the  ocean,  lantern  foremost ;  he  made  his  little  hole 
in  the  water  within  a  yard  of  Captain  Robarts.  That 
dignity,  though  splashed,  took  no  notice  of  so  small  an 


280  HARD   CASH. 

incident  as  a  gone  ship-boy :  and  if  Murphy  had  been 
wise  and  stayed  with  Nep.,  all  had  been  well.  But  the 
poor  urchin  inadvertently  came  up  again,  and  without 
the  lantern.  One  of  the  gig's  crew  grabbed  him  by  the 
hair,  and  prolonged  his  existence  by  an  inconsiderate 
impulse. 

*'  Where  is  the  other  lantern  ? "  was  Robarts's  first 
word  on  reaching  the  deck :  as  if  he  didn't  know. 

"  Gone  overboard,  sir,  Avith  the  boy  Murphy." 

"  Stand  forward,  you  sir,"  growled  Robarts. 

Murphy  stood  forward,  dripping  and  shivering  with 
cold  and  fear. 

"  What  d'ye  mean  by  going  overboard  with  the  ship's 
lantern  ?  " 

''Och,  your  arnr,  sure  some  unasy  divil  drooped  the 
port ;  and  the  lantern  and  me  we  had  no  foothold  at  all, 
at  all,  and  the  lantern  Avent  into  the  say,  bad  luck  to 
ut;  and  I  went  afther  to  try  and  save  ut  —  for  your 
arnr." 

"Belay  all  that!"  said  Robarts;  "do  you  think  you 
can  blarney  me,  you  young  monkey  ?  Here,  Bosen's  mate, 
take  a  rope's-end  and  start  him  !  Again  !  Warm  him 
well!     That's  right." 

As  soon  as  the  poor  child's  .shrieks  subsided  into  sobs, 
the  disciplinarian  gave  him  explanation,  for  ointment. 
"  I  can't  have  the  company's  stores  expended  this  way." 

"  The  force  of  discipline  could  no  farther  go,"  than  to 
flog  zeal  for  falling  overboard  :  so,  to  avoid  anticlimax  in 
that  port,  Robarts  weighed  anchor  at  daybreak ;  and  there 
was  a  south-westerly  breeze  waiting  for  this  favorite  of 
fortune,  and  carried  hiin  past  the  Azores.  Off  Ushant  it 
was  westerly,  and  veered  to  the  nor'-west  just  before 
they  sighted  the  Land's  End ;  never  was  such  a  charm- 
ing passage  from  the  Cape.  The  sailor  who  had  the 
luck   to  sight  Old   England  first,  nailed  his  starboard 


HARD   CASH.  281 

shoe  to  the  mainmast  for  contributions ;  and  all  hearts 
beat  joyfully ;  none  more  than  David  Dodd's.  His  eye 
devoured  the  beloved  shore :  he  hugged  the  treasure  his 
own  ill-luck  had  jeopardized  —  but  Robarts  had  sailed  it 
safe  into  British  waters  —  and  forgave  the  man  his  ill 
manners  for  his  good  luck. 

Robarts  steered  in  for  the  Lizard ;  but,  when  abreast 
the  Point,  kept  v/ell  out  again,  and  opened  the  Channel, 
and  looked  out  for  a  pilot. 

One  was  soon  seen  working  out  towards  him,  and  the 
Agra  brought  to;  the  pilot  descended  from  his  lugger 
into  his  little  boat,  rowed  alongside,  and  came  on  deck ; 
a  rough,  tanned  sailor,  clad  in  flushing ;  and  in  build  and 
manner  might  have  passed  for  Robarts's  twin  brother. 

"  Xow,  then,  you  sir,  what  will  you  take  this  ship  up 
to  the  Downs  for  ?  " 

"Thirty  pounds." 

Robarts  told  him  roughly  he  would  not  get  thirty 
pounds  out  of  him. 

"Thyse  and  no  higher,  my  Bo,"  answered  the  pilot, 
sturdily  :  he  had  been  splicing  the  main  brace,  and  would 
have  answered  an  admiral. 

Robarts  swore  at  him  lustil}' :  pilot  discharged  a  volley 
in  return  v/ith  admirable  promptitude.  Robarts  retorted, 
the  other  rough  customer  rejoined,  and  soon  all  Billings- 
gate thundered  on  the  Agra's  quarter-deck.  Finding,  to 
his  infinite  disgust,  his  visitor  as  great  a  blackguard  as 
himself,  and  not  to  be  outsworn,  Robarts  ordered  him 
to  quit  the  ship  on  pain  of  being  man-handled  over  the 
side. 

<'  Oh,  that  is  it,  is  it  ?  "  growled  the  other:  " here's  fill 
and  be  off  then."  He  prudently  bottled  the  rest  of  his 
rage  till  he  got  safe  into  his  boat :  then  shook  his  fist  at 
the  Agra,  and  cursed  her  captain  sky-high.  "  You  see 
the    fair   wind,    but  you   don't   see    the    Channel   fret 


282  HARD  CASH. 

a-coming,  ye  greedy  gander.     Downs  !     You'll  never  see 

them  :  you  have  saved  your money,  and  lost  your 

ship,  ye lubber." 

Robarts  hurled  back  a  sugar-plum  or  two  of  the  same 
kind,  and  then  ordered  Bayliss  to  clap  on  all  sail,  and 
keep  a  mid-channel  course  through  the  night. 

At  four  bells  in  the  middle  watch  Sharpe,  in  charge  of 
the  ship,  tapped  at  Robarts's  door.  "  Blowing  hard,  sir, 
and  the  weather  getting  thickish." 

"  Wind  fair  still  ?  " 

"Yes,  sir." 

"Then  call  me  if  it  blows  any  harder,"  grunted 
Robarts. 

In  two  hours  more,  tap,  tap,  came  Bayliss,  in  charge. 
"  If  we  don't  take  sail  in,  they'll  take  themselves  out." 

"  Furl  to'gallen'sels,  and  call  me  if  it  gets  any  worse." 

In  another  hour  Bayliss  was  at  him  again.  "  Blowing 
a  gale,  sir,  and  a  Channel  fog  on." 

"Reef  taupsels,  and  call  me  if  it  gets  any  worse." 

At  daybreak  Dodd  was  on  deck,  and  found  the  ship 
flying  through  a  fog  so  thick,  that  her  forecastle  was 
invisible  from  the  poop,  and  even  her  foremast  loomed 
indistinct  and  looked  distant.  "You'll  be  foul  of  some- 
thing or  other,  Sharpe,"  said  he. 

"  What  is  that  to  you  ?  "  inquired  a  loud  rough  voice 
behind  him.  "I  don't  allow  passengers  to  handle  my 
ship." 

"Then  do  pray  handle  her  yourself,  captain  !  Is  this 
weather  to  go  tearing  happy-go-lucky  up  the  Channel  ?  " 

"I  mean  to  sail  her  without  your  advice,  sir:  and, 
being  a  seaman,  I  shall  get  all  I  can  out  of  a  fair 
wind." 

"  That  is  right.  Captain  Robarts ;  if  you  had  but  the 
British  Channel  all  to  yourself." 

"Perhaps  you  will  leave  me  my  deck  all  to  myself." 


HARD  CASH.  283 

"I  should  be  delighted:  but  my  anxiety  will  not  let 
me."  With  this  Dodd  retired  a  few  steps,  and  kept  a 
keen  lookout. 

At  noon,  a  lusty  voice  cried,  "Land  on  the  weather 
beam  ! " 

All  eyes  were  turned  that  way,  and  saw  nothing. 

Land  in  sight  was  reported  to  Captain  Robarts. 

Now  that  worthy  was  in  reality  getting  secretly  anx- 
ious :  so  he  ran  on  deck  crying,  "  Who  saw  it  ?  " 

"  Captain  Dodd,  sir." 

"  Ugh  !     Nobody  else  ?  " 

Dodd  came  forward,  and,  with  a  respectful  air,  told 
him  that,  being  on  the  lookout,  he  had  seen  the  coast  of 
the  Isle  of  Wight  in  a  momentary  lift  of  the  haze. 

"  Isle  of  Fiddlestick  !  "  was  the  polite  reply ;  "  Isle  of 
Wight  is  eighty  miles  astern  by  now." 

Dodd  answered  firmly  that  he  was  well  acquainted 
with  every  outline  in  the  Channel,  and  the  land  he  had 
seen  was  St.  Katharine's  Point. 

Robarts  deigned  no  reply,  but  had  the  log  heaved  :  it 
showed  the  vessel  to  be  running  twelve  knots  an  hour. 
He  then  went  to  his  cabin  and  consulted  his  chart ;  and, 
having  worked  his  problem,  came  hastily  on  deck,  and 
Avent  from  rashness  to  wonderful  caution.  "  Turn  the 
hands  out,  and  heave  the  ship  to  ! " 

The  manoeuvre  was  executed  gradually  and  ably,  and 
scarce  a  bucketful  of  water  shipped.  "Furl  taupsels  and 
set  the  main  trysail !  There,  Mr.  Dodd,  so  much  for  you 
and  your  Isle  of  Wight.  The  land  you  saw  was  Dunge- 
ness,  and  you  would  have  run  on  into  the  North  Sea,  I'll 
be  bound." 

When  a  man,  habitually  calm,  turns  anxious,  he  becomes 
more  irritable:  and  the  mixture  of  timidity  and  rashness 
he  saw  in  Robarts  made  Dodd  very  anxious. 


284  HARD   CASH. 

He  replied  angrily,  "  At  all  events  I  should  not  make 
a  foul  wind  out  of  a  fair  one  by  heaving  to ;  and  if  I  did, 
I  would  heave  to  on  the  right  tack." 

At  this  sudden  facer  —  one,  too,  from  a  patient  man  — 
Robarts  staggered  a  moment.  He  recovered,  and,  with 
an  oath,  ordered  Dodd  to  go  below,  or  he  would  have 
him  chucked  into  the  hold. 

"Come,  don't  be  an  ass,  Robarts,"  said  Dodd,  con- 
temptuously. Then,  lowering  his  voice  to  a  whisper, 
"  Don't  you  know  the  men  only  want  such  an  order  as 
that,  to  chuck  you  into  the  sea  ?  " 

Robarts  trembled.  ''  Oh,  if  you  mean  to  head  a 
mutiny  "  — 

"  Heaven  forbid,  sir !  But  I  won't  leave  the  deck  in 
dirty  weather  like  this,  till  the  captain  knows  where  he 
is  " ' 

Towards  sunset  it  got  clearer,  and  they  drifted  past  a 
revenue  cutter,  who  was  lying  to  with  her  head  to  the 
northward.  She  hoisted  no  end  of  signals,  but  they 
understood  none  of  them  ;  and  her  captain  gesticulated 
wildly  on  her  deck. 

"  What  is  that  Fantoccini  dancing  at  ?  "  inquired  Cap- 
tain Robarts,  brutally, 

"  To  see  a  first-class  ship  drift  to  leeward  in  a  narrow 
sea,  with  a  fair  wind,"  said  Dodd,  bitterly. 

At  night  it  blew  hard,  and  the  sea  ran  high  and  irregu- 
lar. The  ship  began  to  be  uneasy,  and  Robarts  very 
properly  ordered  the  top-gallant  and  royal  yards  to  be 
sent  down  on  deck.  Dodd  would  have  had  them  down 
twelve  hours  ago.  The  mate  gave  the  order:  no  one 
moved.  The  mate  went  forward  angry.  He  came  back 
pale.  The  men  refused  to  go  aloft ;  they  would  not  risk 
their  lives  for  Captain  Robarts. 

The  officers  all  assembled  and  went  forward :  they 
promised  and  threatened ;  but  all  in  vain.     The  crew 


HARD   CASH.  285 

stood  sullen  together,  as  if  to  back  one  another,  and  put 
forward  a  spokesman  to  say  that  "  there  was  not  one  of 
them  the  captain  hadn't  started,  and  stopped  his  grog  a 
dozen  times :  he  had  made  the  ship  hell  to  them  ;  and 
now  her  masts  and  yards  and  hull  might  go  there  along 
with  her  skipper,  for  them." 

Kobarts  received  this  tidings  in  sullen  silence.  "  Don't 
tell  that  Dodd,  whatever  you  do,"  said  he.  '•  They  will 
come  round  now  they  have  had  their  growl :  they  are  too 
near  home  to  shy  away  their  pay." 

Robarts  had  not  sufficient  insight  into  character  to 
know  that  Dodd  would  instantly  have  sided  with  him 
against  mutiny. 

But  at  this  juncture  the  ex-captain  of  the  Agra  was 
down  in  the  cabin  with  his  fellow-passengers,  preparing 
a  general  remonstrance  :  he  had  a  chart  before  him,  and 
a  pair  of  compasses  in  his  hand. 

"St.  Katharine's  Point  lay  about  eight  miles  to  wind- 
ward at  noon ;  and  we  have  been  drifting  south  and  east 
this  twelve  hours,  through  lying  to  on  the  starboard  tack ; 
and  besides,  the  ship  has  been  conned  as  slovenly  as  she 
is  sailed.  I've  seen  her  allowed  to  break  off  a  dozen 
times,  and  gather  more  leeway:  ah!  here  is  Captain 
Robarts.  Captain,  you  saw  the  rate  we  passed  the 
revenue  cutter.  That  vessel  was  nearly  stationary ;  so 
what  we  passed  her  at,  was  our  own  rate  of  drifting,  and 
our  least  rate ;  putting  all  this  together,  we  can't  be  many 
miles  from  the  French  coast,  and,  unless  we  look  sharp 
and  beat  to  windward,  I  pronounce  the  ship  in  danger." 

A  horse-laugh  greeted  this  conclusion. 

"  We  are  nearer  Yarmouth  sands  than  France,  I  promise 
you  :  and  nothing  under  our  lee  nearer  than  Rotterdam." 

A  loud  cry  from  the  deck  above:  "A  light  on  the 

LEE  BOW  I  " 

"  There  ! "  cried  Robarts,  with  an  oath :  "  foul  of  her 


286  HARD   CASH. 

next !  through  me  listening  to  your  nonsense."  He  ran 
upon  deck,  and  shouted  through  his  trumpet,  "  All  hands 
wear  ship  ! " 

The  crew,  who  had  heard  the  previous  cry,  obeyed 
orders  in  the  presence  of  an  immediate  danger;  and  per- 
haps their  growl  had  really  relieved  their  ill-humor. 
Robarts  with  delight  saw  them  come  tumbling  up,  and 
gave  his  orders  lustily  :  "Brail  up  the  trysel !  Up  with 
the  helm  !  in  with  the  weather  main  brace !  square  the 
after-yards  ! " 

The  ship's  bow  turned  from  the  wind,  an<J,  as  soon  as 
she  got  way  on  her,  Robarts  ran  below  again,  and  en- 
tered the  cabin  triumphant. 

"  That  is  all  right :  and  now,  Captain  Dodd,  a  word 
with  you :  you  will  either  retire  at  once  to  your  cabin, 
or  will  cease  to  breed  disaffection  in  my  crew,  and 
groundless  alarm  in  my  passengers,  by  instilling  your 
own  childish,  ignorant  fears.  The  ship  has  been  under- 
logged  a  hundred  miles,  sir,  and  but  for  my  caution  in 
lying  to  for  clear  weather  we  should  be  groping  among 
the  Fern  Isl—  " 

Crash ! 

An  unheard-of  shock  threw  the  speaker  and  all  the 
rest  in  a  mass  on  the  floor,  smashed  every  lamp,  put  out 
every  light;  and,  with  a  fierce  grating  noise,  the  ship 
was  hard  and  fast  on  the  French  coast,  with  her  stern  to 
the  sea. 

One  awful  moment  of  silence ;  then  amid  shrieks  of 
agony,  the  sea  struck  her  like  a  rolling  rock,  solid  to 
crush,  liquid  to  drown  :  and  the  comb  of  a  wave  smashed 
the  cabin-windows  and  rushed  in  among  them  as  they 
floundered  on  the  floor,  and  wetted  and  chilled  them  to 
the  marrow  ;  a  voice  in  the  dark  cried,  "  0  God !  we  are 
dead  men." 


HARD   CASfl.  287 


CHAPTER   XTII. 

"On  deck  for  your  lives  !"  cried  Dodd,  forgetting  in 
that  awful  moment  he  was  not  the  captain ;  and  drove 
them  all  up,  Robarts  included,  and  caught  hold  of  Mrs. 
Beresford  and  Freddy  at  their  cabin-door  and  half  car- 
ried them  with  him.  Just  as  they  got  on  deck  the  third 
wave,  a  high  one,  struck  the  ship  and  lifted  her  bodily 
up,  canted  her  round,  and  dashed  her  down  again  some 
yards  to  lecAvard,  throwing  them  down  on  the  hard  and 
streaming  deck. 

At  this  tremendous  shock  the  ship  seemed  a  live  thing 
shrieking  and  wailing,  as  well  as  quivering  with  the 
blow. 

But  one  voice  dissented  loudly  from  the  general  dis- 
may. "  All  right,  men,"  cried  Dodd,  firm  and  trumpet- 
like. "  She  is  broadside  on  now.  Captain  Robarts,  look 
alive,  sir !     Speak  to  the  men  !  don't  go  to  sleep  ! " 

Robarts  was  in  a  lethargy  of  fear.  At  this  appeal  he 
started  into  a  fury  of  ephemeral  courage  :  "  Stick  to  the 
ship,"  he  yelled;  "there  is  no  danger  if  you  stick  to 
the  ship,"  and  with  this  snatched  a  life  buoy,  and  hurled 
himself  into  the  sea. 

Dodd  caught  up  the  trumpet  that  fell  from  his  hand, 
and  roared,  "  I  command  this  ship.  Officers,  come  round 
me  !  Men,  to  your  quarters  !  Come,  bear  a  hand  here, 
and  fire  a  gun  !  That  will  show  us  where  we  are,  and 
let  the  Frenchmen  know." 

The  carronade  was  fired,  and  its  momentary  flash 
revealed  that  the  ship  was  ashore  in  a  little  bay ;  the 


288  HARD   CASH. 

land  abeam  was  low  and  some  eighty  yards  off;  but 
there  was  something  black  and  rugged  nearer  the  ship's 
stern. 

Their  situation  was  awful.  To  windward  huge  black 
waves  rose  like  tremendous  ruins,  and  came  rolling, 
fringed  with  devouring  tire;  and  each  wave,  as  it  charged 
them,  curled  up  to  an  incredible  height  and  dashed  down 
on  the  doomed  ship  —  solid  to  crush,  liquid  to  drown  — 
with  a  ponderous  stroke  that  made  the  poor  souls  stag- 
ger; and  sent  a  sheet  of  water  so  clean  over  her  that 
part  .fell  to  leeward,  and  only  part  came  down  on  deck, 
foretaste  of  a  watery  death ;  and  each  of  these  fearful 
blows  drove  the  groaning,  trembling  vessel  farther  on 
the  sand,  bumping  her  along  as  if  she  had  been  but  a 
skiff. 

Now  it  was  men  showed  their  inner  selves. 

Seeing  death  so  near  on  one  hand,  and  a  chance  of 
escape  on  the  other,  seven  men  proved  unable  to  resist 
the  two  great  passions  of  fear  and  hope  on  a  scale  so 
gigantic,  and  side  by  side.  Bayliss,  a  midshipman,  and 
five  sailors,  stole  the  only  available  boat  and  lowered  her. 

She  was  swamped  in  a  moment. 

Many  of  the  crew  got  to  the  rum,  and  stupefied  them- 
selves to  their  destruction. 

Others  rallied  round  their  old  captain,  and  recovered 
their  native  courage  at  the  brave  and  hopeful  bearing  he 
wore  over  a  heart  full  of  anguish.  He  worked  like  a  horse, 
encouraging,  commanding,  doing :  he  loaded  a  carronade 
with  a  pound  of  powder  and  a  coil  of  rope,  with  an  iron 
bar  attached  to  a  cable,  and  shot  the  rope  and  bar  ashore. 

A  gun  was  now  fired  from  the  guard-house,  whose 
light  Eobarts  had  taken  for  a  ship.  But,  no  light  being 
shown  any  nearer  on  the  coast,  and  the  ship  expected 
every  minute  to  go  to  pieces,  Dodd  asked  if  any  one 
would  try  to  swim  ashore  with  a  line  made  fast  to  a 
hawser  on  board. 


HARD   CASH.  289 

A  sailor  offered  to  go  if  any  other  man  would  risk  bis 
life  along  with  him.  Instantly  FuUalove  stripped,  and 
Vespasian  next.  • 

"Two  is  enough  on  such  a  desperate  errand,"'  said 
Dodd,  with  a  groan.  But  now  emulation  was  up,  and 
neither  Briton,  Yankee,  nor  negro  would  give  way ;  a 
line  was  made  fast  to  the  sailor's  waist,  and  he  was  low- 
ered to  leeward ;  his  venturesome  rivals  followed.  The 
sea  swallowed  those  three  heroes  like  crumbs;  and  small 
was  the  hope  of  life  for  them. 

The  three  heroes  being  first-rate  swimmers  and  divers, 
and  going  with  the  tide,  soon  neared  the  shore  on  the 
ship's  lee  quarter ;  but  a  sight  of  it  was  enough ;  to 
attempt  to  land  on  that  rock  with  such  a  sea  on,  was  to 
get  their  skulls  smashed  like  eggshells  in  a  moment. 
They  had  to  coast  it,  looking  out  for  a  soft  place. 

They  found  one,  and  tried  to  land ;  but  so  irresistible 
was  the  suction  of  the  retiring  wave,  that,  whenever 
they  got  foot  on  the  sand,  and  tried  to  run,  they  were 
wrenched  out  to  sea  again,  and  pounded  black  and  blue 
and  breathless  by  the  curlino- breaker  they  met  coming  in. 

After  a  score  of  vain  efforts,  the  negro,  throwing  him- 
self on  his  back,  went  in  with  a  high  wave,  and,  on 
touching  the  sand,  turned,  dug  all  his  ten  claws  into  it, 
clenched  his  teeth,  and  scrambled  like  a  cat  at  a  wall  : 
having  more  power  in  his  toes  than  the  Europeans,  and 
luckily  getting  one  hand  on  a  firm  stone,  his  prodigious 
strength  just  enabled  him  to  stick  fast  while  the  wave 
went  back  ;  and  then,  seizing  the  moment,  he  tore  him- 
self ashore,  but  bleeding  and  bruised  all  over,  and  with 
a  tooth  actually  broken  by  clenching  in  the  convulsive 
struggle. 

He  found  some  natives  dancing  about  in  violent  agita- 
tion with  a  rope,  but  afraid  to  go  in  and  help  him ;  and 
no  wonder,  not  being  sea-gulls.  By  the  light  of  their 
19 


290  HARD  CASH. 

lanterns,  he  saw  Fullalove  washing  in  and  out  like  a  log. 
He  seized  one  end  of  the  rope,  dashed  in  and  grabbed 
his  friend,  and  they  were  hauled  ashore  together,  both 
breathless,  and  Fullalove  speechless. 

The  negro  looked  round  for  the  sailor,  but  could  not 
see  him.  Soon,  however,  there  was  a  cry  from  some 
more  natives  about  fifty  yards  off,  and  lanterns  held  up ; 
away  he  dashed  with  the  rope,  just  in  time  to  see  Jack 
make  a  last  gallant  attempt  to  land.  It  ended  in  his 
being  flung  up  like  a  straw  into  the  air  ou  the  very  crest 
of  a  wave  fifteen  feet  high,  and  out  to  sea  with  his  arms 
whirling,  and  a  death-shriek  which  was  echoed  by  every 
woman  within  hearing. 

In  dashed  Vespasian  with  the  rope,  and  gripped  the 
drowning  man's  long  hair  with  his  teeth  :  then  jerked 
the  rope,  and  they  were  both  pulled  ashore  with  infinite 
difficulty.  The  good-natured  Frenchmen  gave  them  all 
three  lots  of  vivats  and  brandy  and  pats  on  the  back, 
and  carried  the  line  for  them  to  a  flagstaff  on  the  rocks 
nearer  the  stern  of  the  ship. 

The  ship  began  to  show  the  first  signs  of  breaking  up : 
hammered  to  death  by  the  sea,  she  discharged  the  oakum 
from  her  opening  seams,  and  her  decks  began  to  gape  and 
grin  fore  and  aft.  Corpses  of  drunken  sailors  drowned 
between  decks  now  floated  up  amidships,  and  washed 
and  rolled  about  among  the  survivors'  feet.  These,  see- 
ing no  hope,  went  about  making  up  all  quarrels,  and 
shaking  hands  in  token  of  a  Christian  end.  One  or  two 
came  to  Dodd  with  their  hands  out. 

"  Avast,  ye  lubbers  !  "  said  he  angrily  ;  "do  you  think 
I  have  time  for  nonsense  ?  Folksel  ahoy !  axes,  and  cut 
the  weather  shrouds  ! " 

It  was  done ;  the  foremast  went  by  the  board  directly, 
and  fell  to  leeward  :  a  few  blows  of  the  axe  from  Dodd's 
own  hand  sent  the  mainmast  after  it. 


HARD  CASH.  291 

The  Agra  rose  a  streak  ;  and  the  next  wave  carried  lier 
a  little  farther  in  shore. 

And  now  the  man  in  charge  of  the  hawser  reported 
with  joy  that  there  was  a  strain  on  it. 

This  gave  those  on  board  a  hope  of  life.  Dodd  bustled 
and  had  the  hawser  carefully  paid  out  by  two  men,  while 
he  himself  secured  the  other  end  in  the  mizzen-top ;  he 
had  left  that  mast  standing  on  purpose. 

There  was  no  fog  here ;  but  great  heavy  black  clouds 
flying  about  with  amazing  swiftness  extinguished  the 
moon  at  intervals :  at  others  she  glimmered  through  a 
dull  mist  in  which  she  was  veiled,  and  gave  the  poor 
souls  on  the  Agra  a  dim  peep  of  the  frail  and  narrow 
bridge  they  must  pass  to  live.  A  thing  like  a  black 
snake  went  down  from  the  mizzen-top,  bellying  towards 
the  yawning  sea,  and  soon  lost  to  sight :  it  was  seen  rising 
again  among  some  lanterns  on  the  rock  ashore  :  but  what 
became  of  it  in  the  middle  ?  The  darkness  seemed  to 
cut  it  in  two ;  the  sea  to  swallow  it.  Yet,  to  get  from  a 
ship  going  to  pieces  under  them,  the  sailors  precipitated 
themselves  eagerly  on  that  black  thread  bellying  to  the 
sea  and  flickering  in  the  wind.  They  went  down  it,  one 
after  another,  and  anxious  eyes  straining  after  them  saw 
them  no  more :  but  this  was  seen,  that  scarce  one  in  three 
emerged  into  the  lights  ashore. 

Then  Dodd  got  an  axe,  and  stood  in  the  top,  and 
threatened  to  brain  the  first  man  who  attempted  to  go 
on  the  rope. 

"  We  must  make  it  taut  first,"  said  he ;  "  bear  a  hand 
here  with  a  tackle." 

Even  while  this  was  being  done,  the  other  rope,  whose 
end  he  had  fired  ashore,  was  seen  moving  to  windward. 
The  natives,  it  seems,  had  found  it,  half  buried  in  sand. 

Dodd  unlashed  the  end  from  the  bulwarks  and  carried 
it  into  the  top,  and  made  it  fast :  and  soon  there  were  two 


292^  HARD   CASH. 

black  snakes  dipping  shorewards  and  waving  in  the  ait 
side  by  side. 

The  sailors  scrambled  for  a  place,  and  some  of  them 
were  lost  by  their  own  rashness.  Kenealy  waited  coolly, 
and  went  by  himself. 

Finally,  Dodd  was  left  in  the  ship  with  jMr.  Sharpe 
and  the  women,  and  little  Murphy,  and  Ramgolam, 
whom  Robarts  had  liberated  to  show  his  contempt  of 
Dodd. 

He  now  advised  Mrs.  Beresford  to  be  lashed  to  Sharpe 
and  himself,  and  venture  the  passage ;  but  she  screamed 
and  clung  to  him,  and  said,  "I  dare  not,  oh,  I  dare  not!" 

"Then  I  must  lash  you  to  a  spar,"  said  he,  "for  she 
can't  last  much  longer."  He  ordered  Sharpe  ashore. 
Sharpe  shook  hands  with  him ;  and  went  on  the  rope 
with  tears  in  his  eyes. 

Dodd  went  hard  to  work,  lashed  ISIrs.  Beresford  to  a 
piece  of  broken  water-butt :  filled  Fred's  pockets  with 
corks  and  sewed  them  up  (you  never  caught  Dodd  with- 
out a  needle ;  only,  unlike  the  women's,  it  ^^as  always 
kept  threaded).  Mrs.  Beresford  threw  her  arms  round 
his  neck  and  kissed  him  wildly ;  a  way  women  have  in 
mortal  peril :  it  is  but  their  homage  to  courage.  "  All 
right ! "  said  Dodd,  interpreting  it  as  an  appeal  to  his 
protection,  and  affecting  cheerfulness:  "we'll  get  ashore 
together  on  the  poop  awning,  or  somehow;  never  you 
fear.  I'd  give  a  thousand  pounds  to  know  when  high 
water  is." 

At  this  moment,  with  a  report  like  a  cannon,  the  lower 
decks  burst  fore  and  aft :  another  still  louder,  and  the 
Agra's  back  broke.  She  parted  amidships  v/ith  a  fear- 
ful yawn,  and  the  waves  went  toppling  and  curling  clean 
through  her. 

At  this  appalling  sound  and  sight,  the  few  creatures 
left  on  the  poop  cowered  screaming  and  clinging  at  Dodd's 
knees,  and  fought  for  a  bit  of  him. 


HARD  CASH.  293 

Yes,  as  a  flood  brings  incongruous  animals  together  on 
some  little  isle,  in  brotherhood  of  fear  —  creatures  who 
never  met  before  without  one  eating  the  other;  and 
there  they  cuddle  —  so  the  thief  Ramgolam  clung  to  the 
man  he  had  tried  to  rob ;  the  Hindoo  ayah  and  the  Eng- 
lish maid  hustled  their  mistress,  the  haughty  Mrs.  Beres- 
ford,  and  were  hustled  by  her,  for  a  bit  of  this  human 
pillar ;  and  little  Murphy  and  Fred  Beresford  wriggled 
in  at  him  where  they  could  :  and  the  poor  goat  crept  into 
the  quivering  mass  trembling  like  an  aspen,  and  not  a 
butt  left  either  in  his  head  or  his  heart.  Dodd  stood  in 
the  middle  of  these  tremblers,  a  rock  of  manhood :  and 
when  he  was  silent  and  they  heard  only  the  voice  of  the 
waves,  they  despaired ;  and,  whenever  he  spoke,  they 
started  at  the  astounding  calmness  of  his  voice  and 
words :  and  life  sounded  possible. 

"  Come,"  said  he,  "  this  won't  do  any  longer.  All  hands 
into  the  mizzen-top ! " 

He  helped  them  all  up,  and  stood  on  the  ratlines  him- 
self;  and,  if  you  will  believe  me,  the  poor  goat  wailed 
like  a  child  below.  He  found  in  that  new  terror  and 
anguish  a  voice  goat  was  never  heard  to  speak  in  before. 
But  they  had  to  leave  him  on  deck :  no  help  for  it.  Dodd 
advised  Mrs.  Beresford  once  more  to  attempt  the  rope; 
she  declined.  "  I  dare  not  I  I  dare  not ! "  she  cried,  but 
she  begged  Dodd  hard  to  go  on  it  and  save  himself. 

It  was  a  strong  temptation :  he  clutched  the  treasure 
in  his  bosom,  and  one  sob  burst  from  the  strong  man. 

That  sob  was  but  the  tax  paid  by  nature :  for  pride, 
humanity,  and  manhood  stood  stanch  in  spite  of  it. 
"Xo,  no,  I  can't,"  said  he:  "I  mustn't.  Don't  tempt 
me  to  leave  you  in  tnis  plight,  and  be  a  cur!  Live  or  die, 
I  must  be  the  last  man  on  her.  Here's  something  coming 
out  to  us,  the  Lord  in  heaven  be  praised!" 

A  bright  lighi  was  seen  moving  down  the  black  line 


294  HARD  CASH. 

that  held  them  to  the  shore  ;  it  descended  slowly  within 
a  foot  of  the  billows,  and  lighting  them  up  showed  their 
fearful  proximity  to  the  rope  in  mid  passage :  they  had 
washed  off  many  a  poor  fellow  at  that  part. 

"Look  at  that!  Thank  Heaven  you  did  not  try  it!" 
said  Dodd  to  Mrs.  Beresford. 

At  this  moment  a  higher  wave  than  usual  swallowed 
up  the  light:  there  was  a  loud  cry  of  dismay  from  the 
shore,  and  a  wail  of  despair  from  the  ship. 

No !  not  lost  after  all !  The  light  emerged :  and 
mounted,  and  mounted  towards  the  ship. 

It  came  near  and  showed  the  black  shiny  body  of 
Vespasian  with  very  little  on  but  a  handkerchief  and  a 
lantern,  the  former  round  his  waist,  and  the  latter  lashed 
to  his  back  :  he  arrived  with  a  "  Yah !  yah !  "  and  showed 
his  white  teeth  in  a  grin. 

Mrs.  Beresford  clutched  his  shoulder,  and  whimpered, 
"  0  Mr.  Black  !  " 

"  Iss,  missy,  dis  child  bring  good  news.  Cap'n  !  Massah 
Fullalove  send  you  his  congratulations,  and  the  compli- 
ments of  the  season  5  and  take  the  liberty  to  observe  the 
tide  am  turned  in  twenty  minutes." 

The  good  news  thus  quaintly  ai^nounced,  caused  an 
outburst  of  joy  from  Dodd,  and,  sailor-like,  he  insisted  on 
all  hands  joining  in  a  cheer.  The  shore  re-echoed  it 
directly.  And  this  encouraged  the  forlorn  band  still 
more ;  to  hear  other  hearts  beating  for  them  so  near. 
Even  the  intervening  waves  could  not  quite  annul  the 
sustaining  power  of  sympath}^ 

At  this  moment  came  the  first  faint  streaks  of  welcome 
dawn,  and  revealed  their  situation  move  fully. 

The  vessel  lay  on  the  edge  of  a  sand-bank.  She  was 
clean  in  two,  the  stern  lying  somewhat  higher  than  the 
stem.  The  sea  rolled  through  her  amidships  six  feet 
broad,  frightful  to  look  at;  and  made  a  clean  breach  over 


HARD  CASH.  295 

her  forward,  all  except  the  bowsprit,  to  the  end  of  which 
three  poor  sailors  were  now  discovered  to  be  clinging. 
The  after  part  of  the  poop  was  out  of  water,  and  in  a 
corner  of  it  the  goat  crouched  like  a  rabbit:  four  dead 
bodies  washed  about  beneath  the  party  trembling  in  the 
mizzen-top,  and  one  had  got  jammed  in  the  wheel,  face 
uppermost,  and  glared  up  at  them,  gazing  terror-stricken 
down. 

No  sign  of  the  tide  turning  yet :  and  much  reason  to 
fear  it  would  turn  too  late  for  them,  and  the  poor  fellows 
shivering  on  the  bowsprit. 

These  fears  were  well  founded. 

A  huge  sea  rolled  in,  and  turned  the  fore  part  of  the 
vessel  half  over,  buried  the  bowsprit,  and  washed  the 
men  oif  into  the  breakers. 

Mrs.  Beresford  sank  down  and  prayed,  holding  Vespa- 
sian by  the  knee. 

Fortunately,  as  in  that  vessel  wrecked  long  sj'ne  on 
^Melita,  "  the  hind  part  of  the  ship  stuck  fast  and  remained 
immovable." 

But  for  how  long  ? 

Each  wave  now  struck  the  ship's  weather  quarter  with 
a  sound  like  a  cannon  fired  in  a  church,  and  sent  the 
water  clean  into  the  mizzen-top.  It  hit  them  like  strokes 
of  a  whip.  They  were  drenched  to  the  skin,  chilled  to 
the  bone,  and  frozen  to  the  heart  with  fear.  They  made 
acquaintance  that  hour  with  death.  Ay,  death  itself 
has  no  bitterness  that  forlorn  cluster  did  not  feel :  only 
the  insensibility  that  ends  that  bitterness  was  wanting. 

Xow  the  sea,  you  must  know,  was  literally  strewed 
with  things  out  of  the  Agra:  masts,  rigging,  furniture, 
tea-chests,  bundles  of  canes,  chairs,  tables  ;  but,  of  all  this 
jetsam,  Dodd's  eye  had  been  for  some  little  time  fixed 
on  one  object:  a  live  sailor  drifting  ashore  on  a  great 
wooden  case :  it  struck  him  after  awhile  that  the  moD 


296 


HARD  CASH. 


made  very  little  way ;  and  at  last  seemed  to  go  up  and 
down  in  one  place.  By  and  by  he  saw  him  nearer  and 
nearer,  and  recognized  him.  It  was  one  of  the  three 
washed  off  the  bowsprit. 

He  cried  joyfully,  "  The  tide  has  turned  !  here's 
Thompson  coming  out  to  sea." 

Then  there  ensued  a  dialogue,  incredible  to  landsmen, 
between  these  two  sailors,  the  captain  of  the  ship  and 
the  captain  of  the  foretop ;  one  perched  on  a  stationary 
fragment  of  that  vessel,  the  other  drifting  on  a  pianoforte ; 
and  both  bawling  at  one  another  across  the  jaws  of  death. 

"  Thompson  ahoy  ! " 

«  Hal-lo ! " 

"Whither  bound?" 

"  Going  out  with  the  tide,  and  be  d d  to  me.** 

"  What,  can't  ye  swim  ?  " 

"Like  a  brass  figure-head.  It's  all  over  with  poor 
Jack,  sir." 

"  All  over  ?  Don't  tell  me  !  Look  out  now  as  you 
drift  under  our  stern,  and  we'll  lower  you  the  four-inch 
hawser." 

"Lord  bless  you,  sir;  do,  pray!"  cried  Thompson, 
losing  his  recklessness  with  the  chance  of  life. 

By  this  time  the  shore  was  black  with  people,  and  a 
boat  was  brought  down  to  the  beach,  but  to  attempt  to 
launch  it  was  to  be  sucked  out  to  sea. 

At  present  all  eyes  Avere  fixed  on  Thompson  drifting 
to  destruction. 

Dodd  cut  the  four-inch  hawser,  and  Vespasian,  on  deck, 
lowered  it  with  a  line,  so  that  Thompson  presently  drifted 
right  athwart  it:  "All  right,  sir!"  said  he,  grasping  it: 
and  amidst  thundering  acclamations  was  drawn  to  land 
full  of  salt  water  and  all  but  insensible.  The  piano 
landed  at  Dunkirk,  three  weeks  later. 

In  the  bustle  of  this  good  and  smart  action  the  tide 
retired  perceptibly. 


HARD   CASH.  297 

By  and  by  the  sea  struck  lower  and  with  less  weight. 

At  nine  p.m.  Dodd  took  his  little  party  down  on  deck 
again,  being  now  the  safest  place  ;  for  the  mast  might  go. 

It  was  a  sad  scene :  the  deck  was  now  dry^  and  the 
dead  bodies  lay  quiet  around  them,  with  glassy  eyes  : 
and,  grotesquely  horrible,  the  long  hair  of  two  or  three 
was  stitf  and  crystallized  with  the  saltpetre  in  the  ship. 

Mrs.  Beresford  clung  to  Vespasian :  she  held  his  bare 
black  shoulder  with  one  white  and  jewelled  hand,  and 
his  wrist  with  the  other,  tight.  "  0  Mr.  Black,"  said  she, 
"  how  brave  you  are  !  It  is  incredible.  Why  you  came 
back.  I  must  feel  a  brave  man  with  both  my  hands,  or 
1  shall  die.  Your  skin  is  nice  and  soft  too.  I  shall 
never  outlive  this  dreadful  day." 

And,  now  that  the  water  was  too  low  to  wash  them  off 
the  hawser,  several  of  the  ship's  company  came  back  to 
the  ship  to  help  the  women  down. 

By  noon  the  Agra's  deck  was  thirty  feet  from  the 
sand.  The  rescued  ones  wanted  to  break  their  legs  and 
necks  :  but  Dodd  would  not  permit  even  that.  He  super- 
intended the  whole  manoeuvre,  and  lowered,  first  the  dead, 
then  the  living,  not  omitting  the  poor  goat,  who  was 
motionless  and  limp  with  fright. 

When  they  were  all  safe  on  the  sand,  Dodd  stood  alone 
upon  the  poop  a  minute,  cheered  by  all  the  sailors,  French 
and  English,  ashore  :  then  slid  down  a  rope  and  rejoined 
his  companions. 

To  their  infinite  surprise,  the  undaunted  one  was  found 
to  be  snivelling. 

"Oh,  dear,  what  is  the  matter  ?"  said  Mrs.  Beresford, 
tenderly. 

"The  poor  Agra,  ma'am!  She  was  such  a  beautiful 
sea-boat :  and  just  look  at  her  now  !  Never  sail  again  ! 
never !  never !  She  was  a  little  crank  in  beating,  I  can't 
deny  it :  but  how  she  did  fly  with  the  wind  abaft !  She 


298  HARD   CASH. 

sank  a  pirate  in  the  straits,  and  weathered  a  hurricane 
off  the  iSIauritius ;  and  after  all  for  a  lubber  to  go  and 
lay  her  bones  ashore  in  a  fair  wind :  poor  dear  beauty ! " 

He  maundered  thus,  and  kept  turning  back  to  look  at 
the  wreck,  till  he  happened  to  lay  his  hand  on  his  breast. 
He  stopped  in  the  middle  of  his  ridiculous  lament,  wore 
a  look  of  self-reproach,  and  cast  his  eyes  upward  in  heart- 
felt gratitude. 

Tlie  companions  of  so  many  adventures  dispersed. 

A  hospitable  mayoress  entertained  Mrs.  Beresford  and 
suite,  and  she  took  to  her  bed ;  for  she  fell  seriously  ill 
as  soon  as  ever  she  could  do  it  with  impunity. 

Colonel  Kenealy  went  off  to  Paris.  "I'll  gain  that 
any  way  by  being  wrecked,"  said  he. 

H  there  be  a  lover  of  quadrupeds  here,  let  him  know 
that  Billy's  weakness  proved  his  strength.  Being  bran- 
died  by  a  good-natured  French  sailor,  he  winked  his  eye; 
being  brandied  greatly,  he  staggered  up,  and  butted  his 
benefactor,  like  a  man. 

Fullalove  had  dry  clothes  and  a  blazing  fire  ready  for 
Dodd  at  a  little  rude  anberge.  He  sat  over  it  and  dried 
a  few  bank-notes  he  had  loose  about  him,  and  examined 
his  greater  treasure,  his  children's.  The  pocket-book 
was  much  stained,  but  no  harm  whatever  done  to  the 
contents. 

In  the  midst  of  this  emplo3'ment  the  shadow  of  an 
enormous  head  was  projected  right  upon  his  treasure. 

Turning  with  a  start  he  saw  a  face  at  the  window,  one 
of  those  vile  mugs  which  are  found  to  perfection  amongst 
the  canaille  of  the  French  nation ;  bloated,  blear-eyed, 
grizzly,  and  wild-beast  like.  The  ugly  thing,  on  being 
confronted,  passed  slowly  out  of  the  sun,  and  Dodd  thought 
no  more  of  it. 

The  owner  of  this  sinister  visage  was  Andre  Thibout, 
of  whom  it  might  be  said,  like  face  like  life ;  for  he  was 


HAKD   CASH.  099 

one  of  those  ill-omeued  creatures  who  feed  upon  the  mis- 
fortunes of  their  kind,  and  stand  on  shore  in  foul  weather 
hoping  the  worst,  instead  of  praying  for  the  best:  briefly, 
a  wrecker.  He  and  his  comrade,  Jacques  Moinard,  had 
heard  the  Agra's  gun  fired,  and  come  down  to  batten  on 
the  wreck ;  but  lo !  at  the  turn  of  the  tide,  there  were 
gendarmes  and  soldiers  lining  the  beach,  and  the  bayonet 
interposed  between  theft  and  misfortune.  So  now  the 
desperate  pair  were  prowling  about  like  hungry,  battled 
woh'es,  curses  on  their  lips,  and  rage  at  their  hearts. 

Dodd  was  extremely  anxious  to  get  to  Barkington 
before  the  news  of  the  wreck;  for,  otherwise,  he  knew  his 
wife  and  children  would  suffer  a  year's  agony  in  a  single 
day.  The  only  chance  he  saw  was  to  get  to  Boulogne  in 
time  to  catch  the  Nancy  sailing  packet ;  for  it  was  her 
day.  But  then  Boulogne  was  eight  leagues  distant,  and 
there  was  no  public  conveyance  going.  FuUalove,  enter- 
ing heartily  into  his  feelings,  was  gone  to  look  for  horses 
to  hire,  aided  by  the  British  consul.  The  black  hero  was 
up-stairs  clearing  out  with  a  pin  two  holes  that  had  fallen 
into  decay  for  want  of  use.    These  holes  were  in  his  ears. 

And  now,  worn  out  by  anxiety  and  hard  work,  Dodd 
began  to  nod  in  his  chair  by  the  fire. 

He  had  not  been  long  asleep  when  the  hideous  face  of 
Thibout  reappeared  at  the  window,  and  watched  him. 
Presently  a  low  whistle  was  uttered  outside,  and  soon 
the  two  ruffians  entered  the  room,  and,  finding  the  land- 
lady there  as  well  as  Dodd,  called  for  a  little  glass  apiece 
of  absinthe.  While  drinking  it  they  cast  furtive  glances 
towards  Dodd,  and  waited  till  she  should  go  about  her 
business,  and  leave  them  alone  with  him. 

But  the  good  woman  surprised  their  looks,  and  know- 
ing the  character  of  the  men,  poured  out  a  cup  of  coffee 
from  a  great  metal  reservoir  by  the  fire,  and  waked  Dodd 
without  ceremony.  "  Void  voire  cafe,  monsieur  f  "  making 
believe  he  had  ordered  it. 


800  HARD  CASH. 

''  lleixi,  madame!"  replied  he,  for  liis  wife  had  taugh'; 
iiim  a  little  French. 

"One  may  sleep  mal  a 2)roj)os,^'  muttered  the  woman  in 
his  ear.  "  My  man  is  at  the  fair,  and  there  are  people 
here  who  are  not  worth  any  great  things." 

Dodd  rubbed  his  eyes  and  saw  those  two  foul  faces  at 
the  end  of  the  kitchen ;  for  such  it  was,  though  called 
salle  a  manner.  "  Humph  ! "  said  he,  and  instinctively 
buttoned  his  coat. 

At  that  Thibout  touched  Moinard's  knee  under  the 
table. 

Fullalove  came  in  soon  after,  to  say  he  had  got  two 
horses,  and  they  would  be  here  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour. 

"  Well,  but  Vespasian,  how  is  he  to  go  ? "  inquired 
Dodd. 

"  Oh  !  we'll  send  him  on  ahead,  and  then  ride  and  tie." 

"  No,  no,"  said  Dodd,  "  I'll  go  ahead.  That  will  shake 
me  up.  I  think  I  should  tumble  off  a  horse,  I'm  so  dead 
sleepy." 

Accordingly,  he  started  to  walk  on  the  road  to  Boulogne. 

He  had  not  been  gone  three  minutes  when  Moinard 
sauntered  out. 

Moinard  had  not  been  gone  two  minutes  when  Thibout 
strolled  out. 

Moinard  kept  Dodd  in  sight,  and  Thibout  kept  Moinard. 

The  horses  were  brought  soon  after ;  but  unfortunately 
the  pair  did  not  start  immediately,  though,  had  they 
known  it,  every  moment  was  precious.  They  wasted 
time  in  argument.  Vespasian  had  come  down  with  a 
diamond  ring  in  one  ear,  and  a  ruby  in  the  other.  Full- 
alove saw  this  retrograde  stej),  and  said  grimly,  "Have 
you  washed  but  half  your  face,  or  is  this  a  return  to 
savagery  ? " 

Vespasian  wore  an  air  of  offended  dignity.  "  jSTo,  sar  j 
these  yar  decorations  come  off  a  lady  ob  i  cibilisation. 


THE    MEN    WEUE    UPON'    HIM. 


HARD   CASH.  301 

Missy  Beresford  donated  'em  me.  Says  she,  'Massah 
Black,'  —  yah!  yah!  She  always  nicknominates  dis  child 
Massa  Black,  —  'while  I  was  praying  Goramighty  for  self 
and  pickaninny,  I  seen  you  out  of  one  corner  of  my  eye 
admirationing  my  rings  ;  den  just  you  take  'em,'  says  dat 
ar  aristocracy;  'for  1  don't  admirationize  'em  none;  I've 
been  shipwrecked.'  So  1  took  'em  wid  incredible  conde- 
scension ;  and  dat  ar  beautiful  lady  says  to  me,  '  Oh,  get 
along  wid  your  nonsense  about  colored  skins !  I  have 
inspectionated  your  conduct,  Massa  Black,  and  likewise 
your  performances  on  the  slack  rope,'  says  she,  '  in  time 
of  shipwreck ;  and  darn  me,'  says  she,  '  but  you  are  a 
man,  you  are.'  —  'No,  missy,'  says  I,  superciliously,  'dis 
child  am  not  a  man,  if  you  please,  but  a  colored  gem- 
man.'  "  He  added,  he  had  put  them  in  his  ears  because 
the  biggest  would  not  go  on  his  little  finger. 

FuUalove  groaned.  "  And,  of  course,  the  next  thing, 
you'll  ring  your  snout  like  a  pig  or  a  Patagonian ;  there, 
come  along,  ye  darn'd  —  anomaly  ! " 

He  was  going  to  say  "cuss,"  but,  remembering. his 
pupil's  late  heroic  conduct,  softened  it  down  to  anomaly. 

But  Vespasian  always  measured  the  force  of  words 
by  their  length  or  obscurity.  "  Anomaly "  cut  him  to 
the  heart.  He  rode  off  in  moody  silence  and  dejec- 
tion, asking  himself  sorrowfully  what  he  had  done  that 
such  a  mountain  of  vituperation  should  fall  on  him. 
"Anomaly  !" 

They  cantered  along  in  silence;  for  Fullalove  was 
digesting  this  new  trait  in  his  pupil,  and  asking  himself 
could  he  train  it  out,  or  must  he  cross  it  out.  Just  out- 
side the  town  they  met  Captain  liobarts  walking  in.  He 
had  landed  three  miles  off  down  the  coast.  "  Hallo  !  " 
said  FuUalove. 

"I  suppose  you  thought  I  was  drowned  ?  "  said  Eobarts, 
spitefully  ;  "  but  you  see  I'm  alive  still." 


302  HARD  CASH. 

Fullalove  replied,  "Well,  captain,  that  is  only  one 
mistake  more  you've  made,  I  reckon." 

About  two  English  miles  from  the  town,  they  came  to 
a  long,  straight  slope  up  and  down,  where  they  could 
see  a  league  before  them,  and  there  they  caught  sight  of 
David  Dodd's  tall  figure  mounting  the  opposite  rise. 

Behind  him  at  some  little  distance  were  two  men 
going  the  same  way,  but  on  the  grass  by  the  roadside, 
Avhereas  David  was  on  the  middle  of  the  road. 

"He  walks  well  for  Jacky  Tar,"  said  Fullalove. 

"Iss,  sar,"  said  Vespasian,  sulkily;  "  but  dis  'analogy' 
tink  he  not  walk  so  fast  as  those  two  behind  him,  cos 
they  catch  him  up." 

Now  Vespasian  had  hardly  uttered  these  words  when  a 
thing  occurred  so  sudden  and  alarming,  that  the  speaker's 
eyes  protruded,  and  he  was  dumfounded  a  moment ;  the 
next  a  loud  cry  burst  from  both  him  and  his  companion 
at  once ;  and  they  lashed  their  horses  to  the  gallop,  and 
went  tearing  down  the  hill  in  a  fury  of  rage  and  appre- 
hension. 

Mr.  Fullalove  was  right,  I  think ;  a  sailor  is  seldom  a 
smart  walker ;  but  Dodd  was  a  cricketer,  you  know,  as 
well.  He  swung  along  at  a  good  pace,  and  in  high  spirits. 
He  had  lost  nothing  but  a  few  clothes  and  a  quadrant  and 
a  chronometer.  It  was  a  cheap  wreck  to  him  and  a  joy- 
ful one ;  for  peril  past  is  present  delight.  He  had  saved 
his  life,  and  what  he  valued  more,  his  children's  money. 
Never  was  that  dear  companion  of  his  perils  so  precious 
to  him  as  now.  One  might  almost  fancy  that,  by  some 
strange  sympathy,  he  felt  the  immediate  happiness  of  his 
daughter  depended  on  it.  Many  in  my  day  believe  that 
human  minds  can  thus  communicate,  overleaping  material 
distances.  Not  knowing,  I  can't  say.  However,  no  such 
solution  is  really  needed  here.  All  the  members  of  an 
united  and  loving  family  feel  together  and  work  together, 


HARD   CASH.  303 

without  specific  concert,  though  hemispheres  lie  between; 
it  is  one  of  the  beautiful  traits  of  true  family  affection. 
Now  the  Dodds,  father,  mother,  sister,  brother,  were  more 
one  in  heart  and  love  than  any  other  family  I  ever  saw. 
Woe  to  them  if  they  had  not ! 

David,  then,  walked  towards  Boulogne  that  afternoon 
a  happy  man.  Already  he  tasted  by  anticipation  the 
warm  caresses  of  his  wife  and  children,  and  saw  himself 
seated  at  the  hearth  with  those  beloved  ones  clustering 
close  round  him.  How  would  he  tell  them  its  adventures, 
its  dangers  from  pirates,  its  loss  at  sea,  its  recovery,  its 
wreck,  its  coming  ashore  dry  as  a  bone  ;  and  conclude  by 
taking  it  out  of  his  bosom,  and  dropping  it  in  his  wife's 
lap  with  cheer  boys  cheer ! 

Trudging  on  in  this  delightful  reverie,  his  ear  detected 
a  pit-pat  at  some  distance  behind  him.  He  looked  round 
with  very  slight  curiosity,  and  saw  two  men  coming  up ; 
even  in  that  hasty  glance  he  recognized  the  foul  face  of 
Andre  Thibout,  a  face  not  to  be  forgotten  in  a  day.  I 
don't  know  how  it  was,  but  he  saw  in  a  moment  that 
face  was  after  him  to  rob  him,  and  he  naturally  enough 
concluded  it  was  their  object. 

And  he  was  without  a  weapon,  and  they  were  doubt- 
less armed.  Indeed,  Thibout  was  swinging  a  heavy 
cudgel. 

Poor  Dodd's  mind  went  into  a  whirl,  and  his  body  into 
a  cold  sweat.  In  such  moments  men  live  a  year.  To 
gain  a  little  time  he  walked  swiftly  on,  pretending  not 
to  have  noticed  them  ;  but  oh  !  his  eyes  roved  wildly  to 
each  side  of  the  road  for  a  chance  of  escape.  He  saw 
none.  To  his  right  was  a  precipitous  rock ;  to  his  left 
a  profound  ravine  with  a  torrent  below,  and  the  sides 
scantily  clothed  with  fir-trees  and  bushes.  He  was,  in 
fact,  near  the  top  of  a  long  rising  ground  called  "Za  mau- 
vaise  cote/'  on  account  of  a  murder  committed  there  two 
hundred  years  ago. 


304  HARD   CASH. 

Presently  he  heard  the  men  close  behind  him.  At  the 
same  moment  he  saw  at  the  side  of  the  ravine  a  flint 
stone  about  the  size  of  two  fists.  He  made  but  three 
swift  strides,  snatched  it  up,  and  turned  to  meet  the 
robbers,  drawing  himself  up  high,  and  showing  tight  in 
every  inch. 

The  men  were  upon  him.  His  change  of  attitude  was 
so  sudden  and  fiery  that  they  recoiled  a  step ;  but  it  was 
only  for  a  moment.  They  had  gone  too  far  to  retreat; 
they  divided,  and  Thibout  attacked  him  on  his  left  with 
uplifted  cudgel,  and  Moinard  on  his  right  with  a  long 
glittering  knife.  The  latter,  to  guard  his  head  from  the 
stone,  whipped  off  his  hat,  and  held  it  before  his  head ; 
but  Dodd  was  what  is  called  "  left-handed,"  "ambidexter" 
would  be  nearer  the  mark  (he  carved  and  wrote  with  his 
right  hand,  heaved  weights  and  flung  cricket-balls  with 
his  left).  He  stepped  forward,  flung  the  stone  in  Thi- 
bout's  face  with  perfect  precision,  and  that  bitter  impetus 
a  good  thrower  lends  at  the  moment  of  delivery,  and 
almost  at  the  same  moment  shot  out  his  right  hand  and 
caught  Moinard  by  the  throat.  Sharper  and  fiercer  col- 
lision was  never  seen  than  of  these  three. 

Thibout's  face  crashed;  his  blood  squirted  all  round 
the  stone,  and  eight  yards  off  lay  that  assailant  on  his 
back. 

Moinard  was  more  fortunate.  He  got  two  inches  of 
his  knife  into  Dodd's  left  shoulder,  at  the  very  moment 
Dodd  caught  him  in  his  right-hand  vise.  And  now  one 
vengeful  hand  of  iron  grasped  him  felly  by  the  throat ; 
another  seized  his  knife  arm  and  twisted  it  back  like  a 
child's.  He  kicked  and  struggled  furiously ;  but  in  half 
a  minute  the  mighty  English  arm  and  iron  fingers  held 
the  limp  body  of  Jacques  Moinard,  with  its  knees  knock- 
ing, temples  bursting,  throat  relaxed,  eyes  protruding, 
and  livid  tongue  lolling  down  to  his  chin ;  a  few  seconds 


HARD   CASH.  305 

more,  and  with  the  same  stalwart  arm  that  kept  liis 
relaxed  and  sinking  body  from  falling,  Dodd  gave  him 
one  fierce  whirl  round  to  the  edge  of  the  road,  then  put 
a  foot  to  his  middle,  and  spurned  his  carcass  with  amaz- 
ing force  and  fury  down  the  precipice.  Crunch !  crunch  ! 
it  plunged  from  tree  to  tree,  fi-om  bush  to  bush,  and  at 
last  rolled  into  a  thick  bramble,  and  there  stuck  in  tlie 
form  of  a  crescent.  But  Dodd  had  no  sooner  sent  him 
headlong  by  that  mighty  effort,  than  his  own  sight  dark- 
ened, his  head  swam,  and,  after  staggering  a  little  way, 
he  sank  down  in  a  state  bordering  on  insensibility.  Mean- 
time Fullalove  and  Vespasian  were  galloping  down  the 
opposite  hill  to  his  rescue. 

Unfortunately,  Andre  Thibout  was  not  dead  ;  nor  even 
mortally  wounded.  He  was  struck  on  the  nose  and 
mouth :  that  nose  was  flat  for  the  rest  of  his  life,  and 
half  his  front  teeth  were  battered  out  of  their  sockets  : 
but  he  fell,  not  from  the  brain  being  stunned,  but  the 
body  driven  to  earth  by  the  mere  physical  force  of  so 
momentous  a  blow  :  knocked  down  like  a  ninepin.  He 
now  sat  up  bewildered,  and  found  himself  in  a  pool  of 
blood,  his  own.  He  had  little  sensation  of  pain  ;  but 
he  put  his  hand  to  his  face,  and  found  scarce  a  trace 
of  his  features ;  and  his  hand  came  away  gory.  He 
groaned. 

Rising  to  his  feet,  he  saw  Dodd  sitting  at  some 
distance  :  his  first  impulse  was  to  fly  from  so  terrible 
an  antagonist :  but,  as  he  made  for  the  ravine,  he  ob- 
served that  Dodd  was  in  a  helpless  condition,  wounded 
perhaps  by  Moinard.     And  where  was  Moinard  ? 

Nothing  visible  of  him  but  his  knife  ;  that  lay  glitter- 
ing in  the  road. 

Thibout,  with  anxious  eye  turned  towards  Dodd, 
kneeled  to  pick  it  up  :  and  in  the  act  a  drop  of  his 
own  blood  fell  on  the  dust  beside  it.  He  snarled  like 
SO 


306  HARD  CASH. 

a  wounded  tiger,  spat  out  half  a  dozen  teeth,  and  crept 
on  tiptoe  to  his  safe  revenge. 

Awake  from  your  lethargy,  or  you  are  a  dead  man  ! 

No.  Thibout  got  to  him  unperceived,  and  the  knife 
glittered  over  his  head. 

At  this  moment  the  air  seemed  to  fill  with  clattering 
hoofs  and  voices,  and  a  pistol-shot  rang.  Dodd  heard 
and  started,  and  so  saw  his  peril.  He  put  up  his  left 
hand  to  parry  the  blow,  but  feebly.  Luckily  for  him, 
Thibout's  eyes  were  now  turned  another  way,  and  glar- 
ing with  stupid  terror  out  of  his  mutilated  visage  :  a 
gigantic  mounted  fiend,  with  black  face  and  white  gleam- 
ing, rolling  eyes,  was  coming  at  him  like  the  wind,  uttering 
horrid  howls  ;  Thibout  launched  himself  at  the  precipice 
with  a  shriek  of  dismay,  and  went  rolling  after  his  com- 
rade ;  but,  ere  he  had  gone  ten  yards,  he  fell  across  a 
young  larch-tree,  and  hung  balanced.  Up  came  the  foam- 
ing horses  :  Fullalove  dismounted  hastily  and  fired  three 
deliberate  shots  down  at  Thibout  from  his  revolvei*. 
He  rolled  off,  and  never  stopped  again  till  he  splashed 
into  the  torrent,  and  lay  there  staining  it  with  blood 
from  his  battered  face  and  perforated  shoulder. 

Vespasian  jumped  off,  and  with  glistening  eyes  admin- 
istered some  good  brandy  to  Dodd.  He,  unconscious  of 
his  wound,  a  slight  one,  relieved  their  anxiety  by  assur- 
ing them  somewhat  faintly  he  was  not  hurt,  but  that, 
ever  since  that  "tap  on  the  head"  he  got  in  the  Straits 
of  Gaspar,  any  angry  excitement  told  on  him,  made  his 
head  swim,  and  his  temples  seem  to  swell  from  the 
inside. 

"  I  should  have  come  off  second-best  but  for  you,  my 
dear  friends.  Shake  hands  over  it,  do  !  0  Lord  bless 
you  !  Lord  bless  you  both  !  As  for  you,  Vespasian,  I 
do  think  you  are  my  guardian  angel.  Why,  this  is  the 
second  time  you've  saved  it.  No,  it  isn't :  for  it's  the 
third." 


HARD   CASH.  307 

"Now  you  git  along,  Massa  Cap'n,"  said  Vespasian. 
"  You  bery  good  man,  ridicalous  good  man  :  and  dis  child 
aren't  no  gardening  angel  at  all ;  he  ar  a  darned  anat- 
omy "  (with  such  a  look  of  offended  dignity  at  Fullalove). 

After  examining  the  field  of  battle  and  comparing 
notes,  they  mounted  Dodd  on  Vespasian's  horse,  and 
walked  quietly  till  Dodd's  head  got  better ;  and  then 
they  cantered  on  three  abreast,  Vespasian  in  the  middle 
with  one  sinewy  hand  on  each  horse's  mane  ;  and  such 
was  his  muscular  power  that  he  often  relieved  his  feet 
by  lifting  himself  clean  into  the  air :  and  the  rest  of 
the  time  his  toe  but  touched  the  ground :  and  he  sailed 
like  an  ostrich  :  and  grinned  and  chattered  like  a  monkey. 

Sad  to  relate,  neither  Thibout  nor  Moinard  was  ended. 
The  guillotine  stood  on  its  rights.  ]\[eantime,  what  was 
left  of  them  crawled  back  to  the  town  stiff  and  sore,  and 
supped  together  —  Moinard  on  liquids  only  —  and  vowed 
revenge  on  all  wrecked  people. 

The  three  reached  Boulogne  in  time  for  the  Xancy, 
and  put  Dodd  on  board :  the  pair  decided  to  go  to  the 
Yankee  paradise  —  Paris. 

They  parted  with  regret  and  tenderly,  like  old  tried 
friends  ;  and  Vespasian  told  Dodd,  with  tears  in  his  eyes, 
that,  though  he  was  in  point  of  fact  only  a  darned  anem- 
one, he  felt  like  a  colored  gemman  at  parting  from  his 
dear  old  captain. 

The  master  of  the  Nancy  knew  Dodd  well,  and  gave 
him  a  nice  cot  to  sleep  in.  He  tumbled  in  with  a  bad 
headache  and  quite  worn  out,  and  never  woke  for  fifteen 
hours. 

And  when  he  did  wake  he  was  safe  at  Barkington. 

He  and  It  landed  on  the  quay.     He  made  for  home. 

On  the  way  he  passed  Hardie's  bank,  a  firm  synonymous 
in  his  mind  with  the  Bank  of  England. 

A  thrill  of  joy  went  through  him.     Now  It  was  safe. 


308  HARD  CASH. 

"When  he  first  sewed  It  on  in  China,  It  seemed  secure 
nowhere  except  on  his  own  person.  But,  since  then, 
tlie  manifold  perils  by  sea  and  land  It  had  encountered 
through  being  on  him,  had  caused  a  strong  reaction  in 
his  mind  on  that  point.  He  longed  to  see  It  safe  out  of 
his  own  hands  and  in  good  custody. 

He  made  for  Hardie's  door  with  a  joyful  rush,  waved 
his  cap  OTer  his  head  in  triumph,  and  entered  the  bank 
with  It. 

Ah  I 


HARD   CASH.  309 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Chronology.  —  The  Hard  Cash  sailed  from  Canton 
months  before  the  boat-race  at  Henley  recorded  in 
Chapter  I.,,  but  it  landed  in  Barkington  a  fortnight 
after  the  last  home  event  I  recorded  in  its  true  series. 

Xo\v  this  fortnight,  as  it  happens,  was  fruitful  of 
incidents,  and  must  be  dealt  with  at  once.  After  that, 
"  love "  and  "  cash,"  the  converging  branches  of  this 
stor}',  will  flow  together  in  one  stream. 

Alfred  Hardie  kept  faith  with  ISIrs.  Dodd,  and,  by  an 
effort  she  appreciated,  forbore  to  express  his  love  for 
Julia  except  by  the  pen.  He  took  in  Lloyd's  shipping 
news,  and  got  it  down  by  rail  in  hopes  there  would  be 
something  about  the  Agra ;  then  he  could  call  at  Albion 
Yilla ;  Mrs.  Dodd  had  given  him  that  loop-hole  :  mean- 
time he  kept  hoping  for  an  invitation,  which  never  came. 

Julia  was  now  comparatively  happy,  and  so  indeed 
was  Alfred ;  but  then  the  male  of  our  species  likes  to  be 
superlatively  happy,  not  comparatively;  and  that  Mrs. 
Dodd  forgot,  or  perhaps  had  not  observed. 

One  day  Sampson  was  at  Albion  Villa,  and  Alfred 
knew  it.  Now,  though  it  was  a  point  of  honor  with 
poor  Alfred  not  to  hang  about  after  Julia  until  her 
father's  return,  he  had  a  perfect  right  to  lay  in  wait 
for  Sampson,  and  hear  something  about  her ;  and  he 
was  so  deep  in  love  that  even  a  word  at  second-hand 
from  her  lips  was  a  drop  of  dew  to  his  heart. 

So  he  strolled  up  towards  the  villa.  He  had  nearly 
reached  it,  when  a  woman  ran  past  him   making   the 


310  HAED  CASH. 

most  extraordinary  sounds  ;  I  can  only  describe  it  as 
screaming  under  her  breath.  Though  he  only  saw  her 
back,  he  recognized  Mrs.  Maxley.  One  back  differeth 
from  another,  whatever  you  may  have  been  told  to  the 
contrary  in  novels  and  plays.  He  called  to  her ;  she 
took  no  notice,  and  darted  wildly  through  the  gate  of 
Albion  Villa.  Alfred's  curiosity  was  excited,  and  he 
ventured  to  put  his  head  over  the  gate ;  but  Mrs. 
Maxley  had  disappeared. 

Alfred  had  half  a  mind  to  go  in  and  inquire  if 
anything  was  the  matter  :    it  would  be  a  good  excuse. 

While  he  hesitated,  the  dining-room  windoAv  was 
thrown  violently  up,  and  Sampson  looked  out:  "Hy! 
Hardie  !  my  good  fellow  !  for  heaven's  sake  a  fly  !  and 
a  fast  one  ! " 

It  was  plain  something  very  serious  had  occurred,  so 
Alfred  flew  towards  the  nearest  fly-stand.  On  the  way, 
he  fell  in  with  a  chance  fly  drawn  up  at  a  public-house  ; 
he  jumped  on  the  box  and  drove  rapidly  towards  Albion 
Villa.  Sampson  was  hobbling  to  meet  him  —  he  had 
sprained  his  ankle,  or  would  not  have  asked  for  a  con- 
veyance ;  to  save  time,  he  got  up  beside  Alfred,  and  told 
him  to  drive  hard  to  Little  Friar  Street.  On  the  way  he 
explained  hurriedly  :  Mrs.  Maxley  had  burst  in  on  him 
at  Albion  Villa  to  say  her  husband  was  dying  in  tor- 
ment ;  and  indeed  the  symptoms  she  gave  were  alarm- 
ing, and,  if  correct,  looked  very  like  lockjaw ;  but  her 
description  had  been  cut  short  by  a  severe  attack,  which 
choked  her  and  turned  her  speechless  and  motionless  and 
white  to  the  very  lips. 

"'Oho,'  sis  I,  'brist-pang  !'  And  at  such  a  time,  ye 
know.  But  these  women  are  as  unseasonable  as  they 
are  unreasonable.  Xow  angina  ])ictorls,  or  brist-pang,  is 
not  curable  through  the  lungs  nor  the  stomick  nor  the 
liver  nor  the  stays  nor  the  saucepan,  as  the  bungliutink- 


HARD   CASH.  311 

erindox  of  the  schools  pretind,  but  onl}^  through  that 
mighty  mainspring  the  brain  ;  and  instid  of  going  mean- 
dering to  the  brain  round  by  the  stoniiek,  and  so  giving 
the  wumman  lots  o'  time  to  die  first,  which  is  the  scho- 
lastic practice,  I  wint  at  the  brain  direct,  took  a  puff  o' 
chlorofm,  put  m'  arm  round  her  neck,  laid  her  back  in 
a  chair  —  she  didn't  struggle,  for  when  this  disorrder 
grips  ye,  ye  can't  move  hand  nor  foot  —  and  had  my 
lady  into  the  land  of  Xod  in  half  a  minute ;  thin  off  t' 
her  husband ;  so  here's  th'  healer  between  two  stools  — 
spare  the  whipcord,  spoil  the  knacker  !  —  it  would  be  a 
good  joke  if  I  was  to  lose  both  pashints  for  want  of 
a  little  unbeequity,  wouldn't  it  —  Lash  the  lazy  vagabin  ! 
—  Not  that  I  care  :  what  interest  have  I  in  their  lives  ? 
the}"  never  pay  ;  but,  ye  see,  custom's  second  nature  ;  an 
d'I've  formed  a  vile  habit :  I've  got  to  be  a  healer  among 
the  killers  ;  an  d'a  Triton  among  —  the  millers  ;  here  we 
are  at  last,  Hiven  be  praised."  And  he  hopped  into  the 
house  faster  than  most  people  can  run  on  a  good  errand. 
Alfred  flung  the  reins  to  a  cad,  and  followed  him. 

The  room  was  nearly  full  of  terrified  neighbors ; 
Sampson  shouldered  them  all  roughly  out  of  his  way ; 
and  there,  on  a  bed,  lay  Maxley's  gaunt  figure  in  agony. 

His  body  was  drawn  up  b}"  the  middle  into  an  arch, 
and  nothing  touched  the  bed  but  the  head  and  the  heels ; 
the  toes  were  turned  back  in  the  most  extraordinary  con- 
tortion, and  the  teeth  set  by  the  rigor  of  the  convulsion  ; 
and  in  the  man's  Avhite  face  and  fixed  eyes  were  the  hor- 
ror and  anxiety  that  so  often  show  themselves  when  the 
body  feels  itself  in  the  gripe  of  death. 

Mr.  Osmond,  the  surgeon,  was  there  ;  he  had  applied  a 
succession  of  hot  cloths  to  the  pit  of  the  stomach,  and 
was  trying  to  get  laudanum  down  the  throat,  but  the 
clenched  teeth  were  impassable. 

He    now   looked    up    and   said   politely,    "Ah!    Dr. 


312  HARD   CASH. 

Sampson,  I  am  glad  to  see  you  here.  The  seizure  is 
of  a  cataleptic  nature,  I  apprehend.  The  treatment 
hitherto  has  been  hot  epithems  to  the  abdomen,  and  "  — 

Here  Sampson,  who  had  examined  the  patient  keenly 
and  paid  no  more  attention  to  Osmond  than  to  a  fly 
buzzing,  interrupted  him  as  unceremoniously,  — 

"  Poisoned,"  said  he,  philosophically. 

"  Poisoned  ! "  screamed  the  people. 

"Poisoned!"  cried  Mr.  Osmond,  in  whose  little  list 
of  stereotyped  maladies  poisoned  had  no  place.  "Is 
there  any  one  you  have  reason  to  suspect  ? " 

"I  don't  suspect  nor  conject,  sir;  I  know.  The  man 
is  poisoned  ;  the  substance,  strychnine.  Xow  stand  out 
of  the  way,  you  gaping  gabies,  and  let  me  work.  Hy, 
young  Oxford  !  you  are  a  man  ;  get  behind  and  hold  both 
his  arms  for  your  life  !     That's  you." 

He  whipped  off  his  coat,  laid  hold  of  Osmond's 
epithems,  chucked  them  across  the  room,  saying,  "  You 
may  just  as  well  squirt  rose-water  at  a  house  on  fire," 
drenched  his  handkerchief  with  chloroform,  sprang  upon 
the  patient  like  a  mountain  cat,  and  chloroformed  him 
with  all  his  might. 

Attacked  so  skilfully  and  resolutely,  Maxley  resisted 
little  for  so  strong  a  man  ;  but  the  potent  poison  Avithin 
fought  virulently  :  as  a  proof,  the  chloroform  had  to  be 
renewed  three  times  before  it  could  produce  any  effect. 
At  last  the  patient  yielded  to  the  fumes,  and  became 
insensible. 

Then  the  arched  body  subsided,  and  the  rigid  muscles 
relaxed  and  turned  supple.  Sampson  kneaded  the  man 
like  dough  by  way  of  comment. 

"  It  is  really  very  extraordinary,"  said  Osmond. 

"Mai  —  dearr — sirr  —  nothing's  extraornary;  t' a  man 
that  knows  the  reason  of  iverything." 

He  then  inquired  if  any  one  in  the  room  had  noticed 
at  what  intervals  of  time  the  pains  came  on. 


HAED   CASH.  313 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say  it  is  continuous,"  said  Osmond. 

"  ]\rai  —  dearr  —  sirr  —  notliing  on  airth  is  continuous  •, 
ivery thing  has  paroxysms  and  remissions  —  from  a  tooth- 
ache t'  a  cancer." 

He  repeated  his  query  in  various  forms,  till  at  last  a 
little  girl  squeaked  out:  "If  —  you  —  please,  sir,  the 
throes  do  come  about  every  ten  minutes,  for  I  was 
a-looking  at  the  clock;  I  carries  father  his  dinner  at 
twelve." 

"  If  you  please,  ma'am,  there's  half  a  guinea  for  you 
for  not  being  such  a  n'  ijjit  as  the  rest  of  the  world, 
especially  the  dockers."  And  he  jerked  her  half  a 
sovereign. 

A  stupor  fell  on  the  assembly.  They  awoke  from  it 
to  examine  the  coin  and  see  if  it  was  real,  or  only 
yellow  air. 

Maxley  came  to,  and  gave  a  sigh  of  relief.  When  he 
had  been  sensible,  yet  out  of  pain,  nearly  eight  minutes 
by  the  clock,  Sampson  chloroformed  him  again.  "  I'll 
puzzle  ye,  my  friend  strych,"  said  he.  '-'How  will  ye 
get  your  perriodical  paroxysm  Avhen  the  man  is  insensi- 
ble ?  The  dox  say  y'  act  direct  on  the  spinal  marrow. 
Well,  there's  the  spinal  marrow  where  you  found  it  just 
now.  Act  on  it  again,  my  lad  !  I  give  ye  leave  —  if  ye 
can.  Ye  can't ;  bekase  ye  must  pass  through  the  brain 
to  get  there ;  and  I  occupy  the  brain  with  a  swifter  ajint 
than  y'  are,  and  mean  to  keep  y'  out  of  it  till  your  power 
to  kill  evaporates,  being  a  vigitable." 

With  this  his  spirits  mounted,  and  he  indulged  in  a 
harmless  and  favorite  fiction:  he  feigned  the  company 
were  all  males  and  medical  students,  Osmond  included, 
and  he  the  lecturer:  "Now,  jintlemen,"  said  he,  ''ob- 
sairve  the  great  therey  of  the  perriodeecity  and  remit- 
tency  of  all  disease,  in  conjunckshin  with  its  practice. 
All  diseases    have  paroxysms,   and  remissions,   which 


314  HARD  CASH. 

occur  at  intervals ;  sometimes  it's  a  year,  sometimes  a 
day,  au  hour,  ten  minutes ;  but  whatever  th'  interval, 
they  are  true  to  it;  they  keep  time.  Only  when  the 
disease  is  retirin',  the  remissions  become  longer,  the  par- 
oxysms return  at  a  greater  interval ;  and  just  the  revairse 
when  the  pashint  is  to  die.  This,  jintlemen,  is  man's 
life  from  the  womb  to  the  grave ;  the  throes  that  precede 
his  birth  are  remittent  like  iverything  else,  but  come  at 
diminished  intervals  when  he  has  really  made  up  his 
mind  to  be  born  (his  first  mistake,  sirs,  but  not  his  last)  ; 
and  the  paroxysms  of  his  mortal  disease  come  at  shorter 
intervals  when  he  is  really  goon  off  the  hooks,  but  still 
chronometrically,  just  as  watches  keep  time  whether 
they  go  fast  or  slow.  Now,  jintlemen,  isn't  this  a  beau- 
tiful therey  ?  " 

•  "  Oh,  mercy !  oh,  good  people,  help  me !  0  Jesus 
Christ,  have  pity  on  me  !  "  And  the  sufferer's  body  was 
bent  like  a  bow,  and  his  eyes  filled  with  horror,  and  his 
toes  pointed  at  his  chin. 

The  doctor  hurled  himself  on  the  foe :  "  Come,"  said 
he,  "smell  to  this,  lad!  That's  right!  He  is  better 
already,  jintlemen,  or  he  couldn't  howl,  ye  know.  Deevil 
a  howl  in  um  before  I  gave  um  puff  chlorofm.  Ah ! 
would  ye  ?  would  ye  ?  " 

"Oh!  oh!  oh!  oh!  ugh!  — ah!" 

The  doctor  got  off  the  insensible  body,  and  resumed 
his  lecture  calmly,  like  one  who  has  disposed  of  some 
childish  interruption  :  "  And  now  to  th'  application  of 
the  therey :  if  the  poison  can  reduce  the  tin  minutes' 
interval  to  five  minutes,  this  pashint  will  die ;  and  if  I 
can  get  the  tin  minutes  up  t'  half  hour,  this  pashint  will 
live.  Any  way,  jintlemen,  we  won't  detain  y'  unreason- 
ably ;  the  case  shall  be  at  an  end  by  one  o'clock." 

On  hearing  this  considerate  stipulation,  up  went  three 
women's  aprons  to  their  eyes. 


HARD   CASH.  315 

"Alack!  poor  James  Maxley !  lie  is  at  his  last  liour; 
it  be  just  gone  twelve,  and  a  dies  at  one." 

Sampson  turned  on  the  weepers.  "Who  says  that,  y' 
ijjits  ?  I  said  the  case  would  end  at  one :  a  case  ends 
when  the  pashint  gets  well,  or  dies." 

"Oh,  that  is  good  news  for  poor  Susan  Maxley;  her 
man  is  to  be  well  by  one  o'clock,  doctor  says." 

Sampson  groaned,  and  gave  in.  He  was  strong,  but 
not  strong  enough  to  make  the  populace  suspend  an 
opinion. 

Yet,  raethinks  it  might  be  done  by  chloroforming 
them. 

The  spasms  camxe  at  longer  intervals  and  less  violent ; 
and  Maxley  got  so  fond  of  the  essence  of  insensibility, 
that  he  asked  to  have  some  in  his  own  hand  to  apply  at 
the  first  warning  of  the  horrible  pains. 

Sampson  said,  "  Any  fool  can  complete  the  cure ; " 
and,  by  way  of  practical  comment,  left  him  in  Mr. 
Osmond's  charge,  but  with  an  understanding  that  the 
treatment  should  not  be  varied,  that  no  laudanum  should 
be  given ;  but,  in  due  course,  a  stiff  tumbler  of  brandy 
and  water,  or  two.  "  If  he  gets  drunk,  all  the  better ;  a 
little  intoxication  weakens  the  body's  memory  of  the 
pain  it  has  endured,  and  so  expedites  the  cure.  Now  off 
we  go  to  th'  other." 

"The  body's  memory!"  said  IMr.  Osmond  to  himself; 
"  what  on  earth  does  the  quack  mean  ?  " 

The  driver,  de  jure,  of  the  fly,  was  not  quite  drunk 
enough  to  lose  his  horse  and  vehicle  without  missing 
them.  He  was  on  the  lookout  for  the  robber;  and,  as 
Alfred  came  round  the  corner  full  pelt,  darted  at  the 
reins  with  a  husky  remonstrance,  and  Alfred  cut  into 
him  with  the  whip  :  an  angry  explanation  —  a  guinea  — 
and  behold,  the  driver  sitting  behind,  complacent  and 
nodding. 


316  HARD  CASH. 

Arrived  at  Albion  Villa,  Alfred  asked  Sampson  sub- 
missively if  he  might  come  in  and  see  the  wife  cured. 

"  Why,  of  course,"  said  Sampson,  not  knowing  the 
delicate  position. 

"Then  ask  me  in  before  Mrs.  Dodd,"  murmured 
Alfred,  coaxingly. 

"  Oo,  ay,"  said  the  doctor,  knowingly.     "  I  see." 

Mrs.  Maxley  was  in  the  dining-room  ;  she  had  got  well 
of  herself,  but  was  crying  bitterly,  and  the  ladies  would 
not  let  her  go  home  yet ;  they  feared  the  worst,  and  that 
some  one  would  blurt  it  out  of  her. 

To  this  anxious  trio  entered  Sampson,  radiant :  "  There, 
it's  all  right.  Come,  little  Maxley,  ye  needn't  cry ;  he 
has  got  lots  more  mischief  to  do  in  the  world,  yet;  but, 
oh,  wumman,  it  is  lucky  you  came  to  me  and  not  to  any 
of  the  tinkering  dox.  No  more  cat  and  dog  for  you  and 
liim,  but  for  the  clironothairmal  therey ;  and  you  may 
bless  my  puppy's  four  bones,  too ;  he  ran  and  stole  a  fly 
like  a  man,  and  drove  hilter-skilter ;  now,  if  I  had  got 
to  your  house  two  minutes  later,  your  Jamie  would  have 
lairned  the  great  secret  ere  this."  He  threw  up  the 
window.  "  Haw,  you !  come  away,  and  receive  the 
applause  due  from  beauty  t'  ajeelity." 

Alfred  came  in  timidly,  and  was  received  with  perfect 
benignity  and  self-possession  by  Mrs.  Dodd ;  but  Julia's 
face  was  dyed  with  blushes,  and  her  eyes  sparkled  the 
eloquent  praise  she  was  ashamed  to  speak  before  them 
all.  But  such  a  face  as  hers  scarce  needed  the  help  of  a 
voice  at  such  a  time.  And,  indeed,  both  the  lovers'  faces 
were  a  pretty  sight,  and  a  st\idy.  How  they  stole  loving 
glances  !  but  tried  to  keep  within  bounds,  and  not  steal 
more  than  three  per  minute !  and  how  unconscious  they 
endeavored  to  look  the  intervening  seconds !  and  what 
windows  were  the  demure  complacent  visages  they 
thought  they  were  making  shutters  of!     Innocent  love 


HARD   CASH.  317 

has  at  least  this  advantage  over  melodramatic,  that  it 
can  extract  exquisite  sweetness  out  of  so  small  a  thing. 
These  sweethearts  were  not  alone,  could  not  open  their 
hearts,  must  not  even  gaze  too  long ;  yet  to  be  in  the 
same  room  even  on  such  terms  was  a  taste  of  heaven. 

"But,  dear  heart!"  said  Mrs.  Maxley,  "ye  don't  tell 
me  what  he  ailed.  Ma'am,  if  you  had  seen  him,  you 
would  have  said  he  was  taken  for  death." 

"  Pray  what  is  the  complaint  ?  "  inquired  Mrs.  Dodd. 

"  Oh,  didn't  I  tell  ye  ?  poisoned." 

This  intelligence  was  conveyed  with  true  scientific 
calmness,  and  received  with  feminine  ejaculations  of 
horror.  Mrs.  Maxley  was  indignant  into  the  bargain: 
"  Don't  ye  go  giving  my  house  an  ill  name  !  We  keeps 
no  poison." 

Sampson  fixed  his  eyes  sternly  on  her:  "  Wumman,  ye 
know  better :  ye  keep  strychnine  for  th'  use  and  delec- 
tation of  your  domistic  animal." 

"  Strychnine  !  I  never  heard  tell  of  it.  Is  that  Latin 
for  arsenic  ?  " 

"Now  isn't  this  lamentable?  Why,  arsenic  is  a 
mital,  strychnine  a  vigitable.  Nlist  me !  Your  man 
was  here  seeking  strychnine  to  poison  his  mouse,  a 
harmless,  domistic,  necessary  mouse :  I  told  him  mice 
were  a  part  of  nature  as  much  as  Maxleys,  and  life  as 
sweet  tit  as  tim  ;  but  he  was  dif  to  sceintitic  and  chris- 
chin  preceps,  so  I  told  him  to  go  to  the  Deevil ;  '  I  will,' 
sis  he,  and  went  t'  a  docker.  The  two  assassins  have 
poisoned  the  poor  beastie  between  'em ;  and  thin,  been 
the  greatest  miser  in  the  world,  except  one,  he  will  have 
roasted  his  victim,  and  ate  her  on  the  sly,  imprignated 
with  strychnine.  'I'll  steal  a  march  on  t'other  miser,' 
sis  he,  and  that's  you ;  t'  his  brain  flew  the  strychnine ; 
his  brain  sint  it  to  his  spinal  marrow,  and  we  found  my 
lorrd  bent  like  a  bow,  and  his  jaw  locked,  and  nearer 


318  HARD  CASH. 

knowin'  the  great  secret  than  any  man  in  England  will 
be  this  year  to  live :  and  sairves  the  assassinating  old 
vagibin  right." 

''Heaven  forgive  you,  doctor,"  said  Mrs.  Maxley,  half 
mechanically. 

"  For  curin  a  murrderer  ?     Not  likely." 

Mrs.  Maxley,  who  had  shown  signs  of  singular  uneasi- 
ness during  Sampson's  explanation,  now  rose,  and  said, 
in  a  very  peculiar  tone,  she  must  go  home  directly. 

Mrs.  Dodd  seemed  to  enter  into  her  feelings,  and 
made  her  go  in  the  fly,  taking  care  to  pay  the  fare  and 
the  driver  out  of  her  own  purse.  As  the  woman  got 
into  the  fly,  Sampson  gave  her  a  piece  of  friendly  and 
practical  advice.  "  Nixt  time  he  has  a  mind  to  breakfast 
on  strychnine,  you  tell  me;  and  I'll  put  a  pinch  of 
arsenic  in  the  saltcellar,  and  cure  him  safe  as  the 
bank.  But  this  time  he'd  have  been  did,  and  stiff, 
long  before  such  a  slow  ajint  as  arsenic  could  get  a  hold 
on  nm." 

They  sat  down  to  luncheon,  but  neither  Alfred  nor 
Julia  fed  much,  except  upon  sweet,  stolen  looks;  and 
soon  the  active  Sampson  jumped  up,  and  invited  Alfred 
to  go  round  his  patients.  Alfred  could  not  decline,  but 
made  his  adieus  with  regret  so  tender  and  undisguised, 
that  Julia's  sweet  eyes  filled,  and  her  soft  hand  instinct- 
ively pressed  his  at  parting  to  console  him.  She  blushed 
at  herself  afterwards,  but  at  the  time  she  was  thinking 
only  of  him. 

Maxley  and  his  wife  came  up  in  the  evening  with  a 
fee.  They  had  put  their  heads  together,  and  proffered 
one  guinea.  "Man  and  wife  be  one  flesh,  you  know, 
doctor,"  said  the  rustic  miser. 

Sampson,  whose  natural  choler  was  constantly  checked 
by  his  humor,  declined  this  profuse  proposal.  "  Here's 
vanity!"  said  he;  "now  do  you  really  think  your  two 


HARD  CASH.  319 

lives  are  worth  a  guinea  ?  Why,  it's  two  hundred  and 
fiftj^-two  pence  !  ten  liundred  and  eight  fartliings  ! " 

The  pair  affected  disappointment :  vilely. 

At  all  events,  he  must  accept  this  basket  of  gudgeons 
Maxley  had  brought  along.  Being  poisoned  Avas  quite 
out  of  Maxley's  daily  routine,  and  had  so  unsettled  him 
that  he  had  got  up,  and  gone  fishing,  to  the  amazement 
of  the  parish, 

Sampson  inspected  the  basket.  "  Why,  they  are  only 
fish  !  "  said  he.  "  /  ivas  in  hoj)€s  they  were  pashints." 
He  accepted  the  gudgeons,  and  inquired  how  Maxley 
got  poisoned.  It  came  out  that  Mrs.  Maxley,  seeing  her 
husband  set  apart  a  portion  of  his  Welsh  rabbit,  had 
"  grizzled,"  and  asked  what  that  was  for  ?  and  being  told 
"for  the  mouse,"  and  to  "mind  her  own  business,"  had 
grizzled  still  more,  and  furtively  conveyed  a  portion 
back  into  the  pan  for  her  master's  own  use.  She  had 
been  quaking  dismally  all  the  afternoon  at  what  she  had 
done;  but  finding  Maxley — hard  but  just  —  did  not 
attack  her  for  an  involuntary  fault,  she  now  brazened  it 
out  and  said,  "  Men  didn't  ought  to  have  poison  in  the 
house  unbeknown  to  their  wives.  Jem  had  got  no  more 
than  he  worked  for,"  etc.  But,  like  a  woman,  she 
vowed  vengeance  on  the  mouse ;  whereupon  Maxley 
threatened  her  with  the  marital  correction  of  neck- 
twisting,  if  she  laid  a  finger  on  it. 

"  My  eyes  be  open  now  to  what  a  poor  creature  do  feel 
as  dies  poisoned.  Let  her  a-be ;  there's  room  in  our 
place  for  her  and  we." 

Next  day  he  met  Alfred,  and  thanked  him  with 
warmth,  almost  with  emotion.  "  There  ain't  many  in 
Barkington  as  ever  done  me  a  good  turn.  Master  Alfred; 
you  be  one  on  em ;  you  comes  after  the  captain  in  my 
book  now." 

Alfred  suggested  that  his  claims  were  humble  com- 
pared with  Sampson's. 


320  HARD   CASH. 

"No,  no,"  said  Maxley,  going  down  to  his  whisper, 
and  looking  monstrous  wise;  "doctor  didn't  go  out  of 
business  for  me  ;  you  did." 

The  sage  miser's  gratitude  had  not  time  to  die  a 
natural  death  before  circumstances  occurred  to  test  it. 
On  the  morning  of  that  eventful  day,  which  concluded 
my  last  chapter,  he  received  a  letter  from  Canada.  His 
wife  was  out  with  eggs  ;  so  he  caught  little  Rose  Sutton, 
that  had  more  than  once  spelled  an  epistle  for  him,  and 
she  read  it  out  in  a  loud  and  reckless  whine :  " '  At  — 
noon  —  this  —  very  —  dale  —  Muster  —  Hardie's  a-g-e-n-t 

—  aguent  —  d-i-s  dis,  h-o-n  —  Honored  —  dis-Honorec?  — 
a  —  bill ;  and  sayed.' "  Here  she  made  a  full  stop. 
Then  on  to  the  next  verse. 

"  *  There  —  were  no  —  more  —  asses.' " 

"Mercy  on  us!  but  it  can't  be  asses,  wench:  drive 
your  spe-ad  into't  again." 

"  '  A-s-s-e-t-s.     Assets.' " 

"  Ah  !     Go  an  !  go  an  ! " 

"  '  Now  —  Fatther  —  if  —  you  —  leave  —  a  s-h-i-1-l-i-n-g 
shilling  —  at  —  Hardie's  —  after  —  this  —  b-1-a-m-e  — 
ble-am  —  your  —  self  —  not  —  me  —  for  —  this  —  is  — 
the  —  waie  —  the  —  r-o-g-u-e-s  —  rogews  —  all  —  bre-ak 

—  they  —  go  —  at  —  a  —  d-i-s-t-a-n-c-e  —  distance  —  first 

—  and  —  then  —  at  —  h-o-m-e  —  whuoame.  Dear  — 
fatther '  —  Lawk  o'daisy,  what  ails  you,  Daddy  Maxley  ? 
You  be  as  white  as  a  Sunday  smock.  Be  you  poisoned 
again,  if  you  please  ?  " 

"  Worse  than  that  —  worse  i "  groaned  Maxley,  trem- 
bling all  over.  "  Hush  I  —  hold  your  tongue  !  Give  me 
that  letter !  Don't  you  never  tell  nobody  nothing  of 
what  you  have  been  a-reading  to  me,  and  I'll  —  I'll  — 
It's  only  Jem's  fun  :  he  is  alius  running  his  rigs  —  that's 
a  good  wench  now,  and  I'll  give  ye  a  halfpenny." 

"  La,  daddy,"  said   the  child,  opening  her  eyes,  "  I 


HARD    CASH.  821 

never  heeds  what  I  re-ads:  I  be  wrapped  up  in  the  spell- 
ing. Dear  heart,  what  a  sight  of  long  words  folks  puts 
in  a  letter,  more  than  ever  drops  out  of  their  mouths ; 
which  their  fingers  be  longer  than  their  tongues,  I  do 
suppose." 

]\raxley  hailed  this  information  characteristically : 
''Then  we'll  say  no  more  about  the  halfpenny." 

At  this  Rose  raised  a  lamentable  cry,  and  pearly  tears 
gushed  forth. 

"There,  there,"  said  Maxley,  deprecatingly ;  "here's 
two  apples  for  ye  :  ye  can't  get  them  for  less,  and  a  half- 
penny or  a  ha'porth  is  all  one  to  you :  but  it  is  a  great 
odds  to  me.     And  apples  they  rot ;  halfpence  don't." 

It  was  now  nine  o'clock.  The  bank  did  not  open  till 
ten ;  but  Maxley  went  and  hung  about  the  door,  to  be 
the  first  applicant. 

As  he  stood  there  trembling  with  fear  lest  the  bank 
should  not  open  at  all,  he  thought  hard,  and  the  result 
was  a  double  resolution :  he  would  have  his  money  out 
to  the  last  shilling,  and,  this  done,  would  button  up  his 
pockets  and  padlock  his  tongue.  It  was  not  his  busi- 
ness to  take  care  of  his  neighbors,  nor  to  blow  the 
Hardies,  if  they  paid  him  his  money  on  demand.  "  So 
not  a  word  to  my  missus,  nor  yet  to  the  town-crier," 
said  he. 

Ten  o'clock  struck,  and  the  bank  shutters  remained 
up.  Five  minutes  more,  and  the  watcher  was  in  agony. 
Three  minutes  more,  and  up  came  a  boy  of  sixteen 
whistling,  and  took  down  the  shutters  with  an  indiffer- 
ence that  amazed  him.  '-Bless  your  handsome  face!" 
said  Maxley,  with  a  sigh  of  relief. 

He  now  summoned  all  his  firmness,  and,  having  re- 
course to  an  art  in  which  these  shrewd  rustics  are 
supreme,  made  his  face  quite  inexpressive,  and  so  walked 
into  the  bank  the  every -day  Maxley,  externally;  but, 
21 


322  HARD  CASH. 

within,  a  volcano  ready  to  burst  if  there  should  be  the 
slightest  hesitation  to  pay  him  his  money. 

"Good-morning,  Mr.  Maxlcy,"  said  young  Skinner. 

"Good-morning,  sir," 

"  What  can  we  do  for  you  ?  " 

"Oh,  I'll  wait  my  turn,  sir." 

"  Well,  it  is  your  turn  now,  if  you  like." 

"  How  much  have  you  got  of  mine,  if  you  please,  sir  ?  " 

"Your  balance?  I'll  see.  Nine  hundred  and  four 
pounds." 

"Well,  sir,  then  if  you  please,  I'll  draa  tliatP 

"  It  has  come,"  thought  Skinner.  "  What,  going  to 
desert  us  ?  "  he  stammered. 

"^STo,"  said  the  other,  trembling  inwardly,  but  not 
moving  a  facial  muscle ;  "  it  is  only  for  a  day  or  two, 
sir." 

"  Ah  !  I  see,  going  to  make  a  purchase.  By-the-by, 
I  believe  Mr.  Hardie  means  to  offer  you  some  grounds 
he  is  buying  outside  the  town;  will  that  suit  your 
book  ?  " 

"  I  dare  say  it  will,  sir." 

"  Then  perhaps  you  will  wait  till  our  governor  comes 
in?" 

"  I  have  no  objection." 

"He  won't  be  long.  Pine  weather  for  the  gardens, 
Mr.  Maxley." 

"  Moderate,  sir.  I'll  take  my  money,  if  you  please. 
Counting  of  it  out,  that  will  help  pass  the  time  till 
Muster  Hardie  comes.     You  ha'n't  made  away  with  it  ?  " 

"  What  d'ye  mean,  sir  ?  " 

"  Hardies  hain't  turned  thieves,  be  they  ?  " 

"  Are  you  mad  or  intoxicated,  James  Maxley  ?  " 

"  Neither,  sir ;  but  I  wants  my  own,  and  I  wool  have 
it  too  :  so  count  out  on  this  here  counter,  or  I'll  cry  the 
town  round  that  there  door." 


HARD  CASH.  323 

"  Henry,  score  James  Maxley's  name  off  the  books," 
said  Skinner,  with  cool  dignity.  But,  when  he  had  said 
this,  he  was  at  his  wits'  end :  there  Avere  not  nine  hun- 
dred pounds  of  hard  cash  in  the  bank,  nor  anything 
like  it. 


324  HARD  CASH. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

Skinner  —  called  "  young  "  because  he  had  once  had 
a  father  on  the  premises  —  was  the  mole-catcher.  The 
feelings  with  which  he  had  now  for  some  months  watched 
his  master  grubbing,  were  curiously  mingled.  There 
was  the  grim  sense  of  superiority  every  successful  de- 
tective feels  as  he  sees  the  watched  one  working  away 
unconscious  of  the  eye  that  is  on  him ;  but  this  was 
more  than  balanced  by  a  long  habit  of  obsequious  rever- 
ence. When  A  has  been  looking  up  to  B  for  thirty 
years,  he  cannot  look  down  on  him  all  of  a  sudden, 
merely  because  he  catches  him  falsifying  accounts.  Wh}^, 
man  is  a  cooking  animal ;  bankrupt  man  especially. 

And  then  Richard  Hardie  overpowered  Skinner's 
senses :  he  was  dignity  in  person  ;  he  was  six  feet  two, 
and  always  wore  a  black  surtout  buttoned  high,  and  a 
hat  with  a  brim  a  little  broader  than  his  neighbors,  yet 
not  broad  enough  to  be  eccentric  or  slang.  He  moved 
down  the  street  touching  his  hat,  —  while  other  hats 
were  lifted  high  to  him,  —  a  walking  column  of  cash. 
And  when  he  took  off  this  ebon  crown,  and  sat  in  the 
bank  parlor,  he  gained  in  appearance  more  than  he  lost, 
for  then  his  whole  head  was  seen,  long,  calm,  majestic ; 
that  senatorial  front,  and  furrowed  face,  overawed  all 
comers :  even  the  little  sharp-faced  clerk  would  stand 
and  peep  at  it  utterly  puzzled  between  what  he  knew 
and  what  he  eyed ;  nor  could  he  look  at  that  head  and 
face  without  excusing  them.  What  a  lot  of  money  they 
must  have  sunk  before  they  came  down  to  fabricating 
a  balance-sheet ! 


HARD   CASH.  325 

And  by  and  by  custom  somewhat  blunted  his  sense 
of  the  dishonesty,  and  he  began  to  criticise  the  thing 
arithmetically  instead  of  morally ;  that  view  once  ad- 
mitted, he  was  charmed  with  the  ability  and  subtlety  of 
his  dignitied  sharper;  and  so  the  mole-catcher  began 
gradually,  but  effectually,  to  be  corrupted  by  the  mole. 
He  who  watches  a  dishonest  process  and  does  not  stop 
it,  is  half-way  towards  conniving ;  who  connives,  is  half- 
way towards  abetting. 

The  next  thing  was.  Skinner  felt  mortified  at  his  mas- 
ter not  trusting  him.  Did  he  think  old  Bob  Skinner's 
son  would  blow  on  Hardie  after  all  these  years  ? 

This  rankled  a  little,  and  set  him  to  console  himself 
by  admiring  his  own  cleverness  in  penetrating  this  great 
distrustful  man.  Now  of  all  sentiments  vanity  is  the 
most  restless  and  the  surest  to  peep  out.  Skinner  was 
no  sooner  inflated,  than  his  demure,  obsequious  manner 
underwent  a  certain  change  ;  slight  and  occasional  only  ; 
but  Hardie  was  a  subtle  man,  and  the  perilous  path  he 
was  treading  made  him  wonderfully  watchful,  suspicious, 
and  sagacious  ;  he  said  to  himself,  "  What  has  come  to 
Skinner  ?  I  must  know."  So  he  quietly  watched  his 
watcher,  and  soon  satisfied  himself  he  suspected  some- 
thing amiss.  From  that  hour  Skinner  was  a  doomed 
clerk. 

It  was  two  o'clock;  Hardie  had  just  arrived,  and  sat 
in  the  parlor  Cato-like,  and  cooking. 

Skinner  was  in  high  spirits ;  it  was  owing  to  his  pres- 
ence of  mind  the  bank  had  not  been  broken  some  hours 
ago  by  Maxley :  so  now,  while  concluding  his  work,  he 
was  enjoying  by  anticipation  his  employer's  gratitude. 
"He  can't  hold  aloof  after  this,"  said  Skinner;  "he 
must  honor  me  with  his  confidence.  And  I  will  deserve 
it.     I  do  deserve  it." 

A  grave,  calm,  passionless  voice  invited  him  into  the 
parlor. 


326  HAED  CASH. 

He  descended  from  his  desk  and  went  in,  swelling 
with  demure  complacency. 

He  found  Mr.  Hardie  seated  garbling  his  accounts 
with  surpassing  dignity.  The  great  man  handed  him  an 
envelope,  and  cooked  majestic  on.  A  wave  of  that 
imperial  hand,  and  Skinner  had  mingled  with  the  past. 

For  know  that  the  envelope  contained  three  things : 
a  check  for  a  month's  wages,  a  character,  and  a  dismissal, 
very  polite,  and  equally  peremptory. 

Skinner  stood  paralyzed  :  the  complacency  died  out 
of  his  face,  and  rueful  wonder  came  instead.  It  Avas 
some  time  before  he  could  utter  a  word ;  at  last  he  fal- 
tered, "  Turn  me  away,  sir  ?  turn  away  Noah  Skinner ! 
Your  father  would  never  have  said  such  a  word  to  viy 
father."  Skinner  uttered  this  his  first  remonstrance  in 
a  voice  trembling  with  awe,  but  gathered  courage  when 
he  found  he  had  done  it,  yet  lived. 

Mr.  Hardie  evaded  his  expostulation  by  a  very  simple 
means ;  he  made  no  reply,  but  continued  his  work,  digni- 
fied as  Brutus,  inexorable  as  fate,  cool  as  cucumber. 

Skinner's  anger  began  to  rise.  He  watched  Mr. 
Hardie  in  silence,  and  said  to  himself,  "Curse  you!  you 
were  born  without  a  heart !" 

He  waited,  however,  for  some  sign  of  relenting ;  and, 
hoping  for  it,  the  water  came  into  his  own  eyes.  But 
Hardie  was  impassive  as  ice. 

Then  the  little  clerk,  mortified  to  the  core,  as  well  as 
wounded,  ground  his  teeth,  and  drew  a  little  nearer  to 
this  incarnate  Arithmetic,  and  said  with  an  excess  of 
obsequiousness,  "  Will  you  condescend  to  give  me  a 
reason  for  turning  me  away  all  in  a  moment,  after  five 
and  thirty  years'  faithful  services  ?  " 

"  Men  of  business  do  not  deal  in  reasons,"  was  the 
cool  reply ;  "  it  is  enough  for  you  that  I  give  you  an 
excellent  character,  and  that  we  part  good  friends." 


HARD  CASH.  327 

"  That  we  do  not,"  replied  Skinner  sharply ;  "  if  we 
stay  together,  we  are  friends :  but  we  part  enemies,  if 
Ave  do  part." 

"As  you  please,  Mr.  Skinner.  I  will  detain  you  no 
longer." 

And  Mr.  Hardie  waved  him  away  so  grandly,  that  he 
started  and  almost  ran  to  the  door.  When  he  felt  the 
handle,  it  acted  like  a  prop  to  his  heart.  He  stood  firm, 
and  rage  supplied  the  place  of  steady  courage.  He  clung 
to  the  door,  and  whispered  at  his  master ;  such  a  whis- 
per !  so  loud,  so  cutting,  so  full  of  meaning  and  malice ; 
it  was  like  a  serpent  hissing  at  a  man.  "  But  I'll  give 
you  a  reason,  a  good  reason,  why  you  had  better  not 
insult  me  so  cruel ;  and  what  is  more,  I'll  give  you  two : 
and  one  is  that  but  for  me  the  bank  must  have  closed 
this  day  at  ten  o'clock  —  ay,  you  may  stare ;  it  was  I 
saved  it,  not  you :  and  the  other  is  that,  if  you  make  an 
enemy  of  me,  you  are  done  for.  I  know  too  much  to  be 
made  an  enemy  of,  sir,  —  a  great  deal  too  much." 

At  this,  jSIr.  Hardie  raised  his  head  from  his  book  and 
eyed  his  crouching,  venomous  assailant  full  in  the  face, 
majestically,  as  one  can  fancy  a  lion  rearing  his  ponder- 
ous head,  and  looking  lazily  and  steadily  at  a  snake  that 
has  just  hissed  in  a  corner.  Each  word  of  Skinner's 
was  a  barbed  icicle  to  him :  yet  not  a  muscle  of  his  close 
countenance  betra3'ed  his  inward  suffering. 

One  thing,  however,  even  he  could  not  master,  his 
blood  ;  it  retired  from  that  stoical  cheek  to  the  chilled 
and  foreboding  heart;  and  the  sudden  pallor  of  the 
resolute  face  told  Skinner  his  shafts  had  gone  home. 
"Come,  sir,"  said  he,  affecting  to  mingle  good-fellowship 
with  his  defiance ;  "  why  bundle  me  off  these  premises, 
when  you  will  be  bundled  off  them  yourself  before  the 
week  is  out  ?  " 

"  You  insolent  scoundrel !  Humph !  explain,  Mr. 
Skinner." 


328  HARD   CASH. 

"Ah,  what!  have  I  warmed  your  marble  up  a  bit? 
Yes,  I'll  explain.  The  bank  is  rotten,  and  can't  last 
fort^'-eight  hours." 

"Oh,  indeed!  blighted  in  a  day — by  the  dismissal  of 
Mr.  Xoah  Skinner.  Do  not  repeat  that  after  you  have 
been  turned  into  the  streets,  or  you  will  be  indicted;  at 
present  we  are  confidential.  Anything  more  before  you 
quit  the  rotten  bank  ?  " 

"Yes,  sir,  plenty.  I'll  tell  you  your  own  history,  past, 
present,  and  to  come.  The  road  to  riches  is  hard  and 
rugged  to  the  likes  of  me ;  but  your  good  father  made  it 
smooth  and  easy  to  you,  sir ;  you  had  only  to  take  the 
money  of  a  lot  of  fools  that  fancy  they  can't  keep  it 
themselves  ;  invest  it  in  consols  and  exchequer  bills, 
live  on  half  the  profits,  put  by  the  rest,  and  roll  in 
wealth.  But  this  was  too  slow,  and  too  sure,  for  you ; 
you  must  be  Rothschild  in  a  day  ;  so  you  went  into 
blind  speculation,  and  flung  old  Mr.  Hardie's  savings 
into  a  well.  And  now,  for  the  last  eight  months,  you 
have  been  doctoring  the  ledger ; "  Hardie  winced  just 
perceptibly;  "you  have  put  down  our  gains  in  white, 
our  losses  in  black,  and  so  you  keep  feeding  your  pocket- 
book  and  emptying  our  tills :  the  peai;  will  soon  be 
ripe,  and  then  you  will  let  it  drop,  and  into  the  bank- 
ruptcy court  we  go.  But,  what  you  forget,  fraudulent 
bankruptcy  isn't  the  turnpike  way  of  trade :  it  is  a 
broad  road,  but  a  crooked  one :  skirts  the  prison-wall, 
sir,  and  sights  the  herring-pond." 

An  agony  went  across  Mr.  Hardie's  great  face ;  and 
seemed  to  furrow  as  it  ran. 

"Not  but  what  j/on  are  all  right,  sir,"  resumed  his 
little  cat-like  tormentor,  letting  him  go  a  little  way,  to 
nail  him  again  by  and  by  :  "you  have  cooked  the  books 
in  time ;  and  Cocker  was  a  fool  to  you.  'Twill  be  all 
down  in  black  and  white.     Great  sacrifices:  no  reserve: 


HARD   CASH.  329 

creditors  take  everything ;  dividend  fourpence  in  the 
pound,  furniture  of  house  and  bank,  JNIrs.  Hardie's  por- 
trait, and  down  to  the  coal-scuttle.  Bankrupt  saves  noth- 
ing but  his  honor,  and  —  the  six  thousand  pounds  or  so 
he  has  stitched  into  his  old  great-coat:  hands  his  new- 
one  to  the  official  assignees,  like  an  honest  man." 

Hardie  uttered  something  between  a  growl  and  a 
moan. 

"  Now  comes  the  per  contra :  poor  little  despised  Noah 
Skinner  has  kept  genuine  books,  while  you  have  been 
preparing  false  ones.  I  took  the  real  figures  home  every 
afternoon  on  loose  leaves,  and  bound  'em :  and  very 
curious  they  will  read  in  court  alongside  of  yours.  I  did 
it  for  amusement  o'  nights ;  I'm  so  solitary  and  so  fond 
of  figures  :  I  must  try  and  turn  them  to  profit :  for  I'm 
out  of  place  now  in  my  old  age.  Dearee  me  !  how 
curious  that  you  should  go  and  pick  out  me  of  all  men, 
to  turn  into  the  street  like  a  dog  —  like  a  dog  —  like  a 
dog.'' 

Hardie  turned  his  head  away ;  and,  in  that  moment  of 
humiliation  and  abject  fear,  drank  all  the  bitterness  of 
moral  death. 

His  manhood  urged  him  to  defy  Skinner  and  return  to 
the  straight  path,  cost  what  it  might.  But  how  could 
he  ?  His  own  books  were  all  falsified.  He  could  place 
a  true  total  before  his  creditors  by  simply  adding  the 
contents  of  his  secret  hoard  to  the  assets  of  the  bank  ; 
but  with  this  true  arithmetical  result  he  could  not  square 
his  books,  except  by  ;onjectural  and  fabricated  details, 
which  would  be  detected,  and  send  him  to  prison ;  for 
who  would  believe  he  was  lying  in  figures  only  to  .get 
back  to  the  truth?  No;  he  had  entangled  himself  in  his 
own  fraud,  and  was  at  the  mercy  of  his  servant.  He 
took  his  line.  "  Skinner,  it  was  your  interest  to  leave 
me  whilst  the  bank  stood ;  then  you  would  have  got  a 


oSO  HARD   CASH. 

place  directly ;  but  since  you  take  umbrage  at  my  dis- 
missing you  for  your  own  good,  I  must  punish  you  —  by 
keeping  you." 

"  I  am  quite  ready  to  stay  and  serve  you,  sir,"  replied 
Skinner  hastilj^ ;  "  and  as  for  my  angry  words,  think  no 
more  of  them !  it  went  to  my  heart  to  be  turned  away 
at  the  very  time  you  need  me  most." 

"  Hypocritical  rogue !  "  thought  Hardie.  "  That  is 
true,  Skinner,"  said  he ;  "I  do  indeed  need  a  faithful 
and  sympathizing  servant,  to  advise,  support,  and  aid  me. 
Ask  yourself  whether  any  man  in  England  needs  a  con- 
fidant more  than  I !  It  was  bitter  at  first  to  be  discov- 
ered even  by  you  :  but  now  I  am  glad  you  know  all ;  for 
I  see  I  have  undervalued  your  ability  as  well  as  your 
zeal." 

Thus  Mr.  Hardie  bowed  his  pride  to  flatter  Skinner : 
and  soon  saw  by  the  little  fellow's  heightened  color  that 
this  was  the  way  to  make  him  a  clerk  of  wax. 

The  banker  and  his  clerk  were  reconciled.  Then  the 
latter  was  invited  to  commit  himself  by  carrying  on  the 
culinary  process  in  his  own  hand.  He  trembled  a  little : 
but  complied,  and  so  became  an  accomplice  ;  on  this  his 
master  took  him  into  his  confidence,  and  told  him  every- 
thing it  was  impossible  to  hide  from  him. 

'•  And  now,  sir,"  said  Skinner,  *'  let  me  tell  you  what 
I  did  for  you  this  morning.  Then  perhaps  you  won't 
wonder  at  my  being  so  peppery.  Maxley  suspects:  he 
came  here  and  drew  out  every  shilling.  I  was  all  in  a 
perspiration  what  to  do.  But  I  put  a  good  face  on, 
and  "  — 

Skinner  then  confided  to  his  principal  how  he  had 
evaded  Maxley,  and  saved  the  bank ;  and  the  stratagem 
seemed  so  incredible  and  droll,  that  they  both  laughed 
over  it  long  and  loud.  And  in  fact  it  turned  out  a  first- 
rate  practical  jest ;  cost  two  lives. 


HARD   CASH.  331 

While  they  were  laughing,  the  young  clerk  looked  in, 
and  said,  ''Captain  Dodd,  to  speak  with  you,  sir." 

"  Captain  Dodd  !  "  And  all  Mr.  Hardie's  forced  merri- 
ment died  awa}^  and  his  face  betrayed  his  vexation  for 
once.     "  Did  you  go  and  tell  him  I  was  here  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir ;  I  have  no  orders ;  and  he  said  you  would 
be  sure  to  see  him." 

"  Unfortunate  !  Well,  you  may  show  him  in  when  I 
ring  your  bell." 

The  youngster  being  gone,  Mr.  Hardie  explained  to 
his  new  ally  in  a  few  hurried  words  the  danger  that 
threatened  him  from  Miss  Julia  Dodd.  "  And  now," 
said  he,  "  the  women  have  sent  her  father  to  soften  his. 
I  shall  be  told  his  girl  will  die  if  she  can't  have  my  boy, 
etc.     As  if  I  care  who  lives  or  dies." 

On  this  Skinner  got  up  all  in  a  hurry,  and  offered  to 
go  into  the  office. 

"  On  no  account,"  said  Mr.  Hardie,  sharply.  "  I  shall 
make  my  business  with  you  the  excuse  for  cutting  this 
love-nonsense  mighty  short.  Take  your  book  to  the 
desk,  and  seem  buried  in  it." 

He  then  touched  the  bell,  and  both  confederates  fell 
into  an  attitude ;  never  were  a  pair  so  bent  over  their 
little  accounts  ;  lies,  like  themselves. 

Instead  of  the  heart-broken  father  their  comedy  awaited, 
in  came  the  gallant  sailor  with  a  brown  cheek  reddened 
by  triumph  and  excitement,  and  almost  shouted  in  a 
genial,  jocund  voice,  "How  d'ye  do,  sir?  It  is  a  long 
time  since  I  came  across  your  hawse."  And  with  this  he 
held  out  his  hand  cordially.  Hardie  gave  his  mechanic- 
ally, and  remained  on  his  guard ;  but  somewhat  puzzled. 
Dodd  shook  his  cold  hand  heartily.  "  Well,  sir,  liere  I 
am,  just  come  ashore,  and  visiting  you  before  my  very 
wife :  what  d'ye  think  of  that  ?  " 

"  I  am  highly  honored,  sir,"  said  Hardie :  then,  rather 


332  HARD  CASH. 

stiffly  and  incredulously,  "And  to  what  may  I  owe  this 
extraordinary  preference  ?  Will  you  be  good  enough  to 
state  the  purport  of  this  visit  —  briefly  —  as  Mr.  Skinner 
and  I  are  much  occupied." 

"  The  purport  ?  Why,  what  does  one  come  to  a  banker 
about  ?  I  have  got  a  lot  of  money  I  want  to  get  rid 
of." 

Hardie  stared;  but  was  as  much  on  his  guard  as  ever; 
only  more  and  more  puzzled. 

Then  David  winked  at  him  with  simple  cunning,  took 
out  his  knife,  undid  his  shirt,  and  began  to  cut  the 
threads  which  bound  the  cash  to  his  flannel. 

At  this  Skinner  wheeled  round  on  his  stool  to  look, 
and  both  he  and  Mr.  Hardie  inspected  the  unusual  panto- 
mime with  demure  curiosity. 

Dodd  next  removed  the  oilskin  cover,  and  showed  the 
pocket-book,  brought  it  down  with  a  triumphant  smack 
on  the  hollow  of  his  hand,  and,  in  the  pride  of  his  heart, 
the  joy  of  his  bosom,  and  the  fever  of  his  blood — for 
there  were  two  red  spots  on  his  cheek  all  the  time  —  told 
the  cold  pair  its  adventures  in  a  few  glowing  words ;  the 
Calcutta  firm,  —  the  two  pirates,  —  the  hurricane,  —  the 
wreck,  —  the  land-sharks,  —  he  had  saved  it  from.  "  And 
here  it  is,  safe  in  spite  of  them  all.  But  I  won't  carry  it 
on  me  any  more  ;  it  is  unlucky :  so  you  must  be  so  good 
as  to  take  charge  of  it  for  me,  sir." 

"Very  well,  Captain  Dodd.  You  wish  it  placed  to 
Mrs.  Dodd's  account,  I  suppose." 

"No!  no!  I  have  nothing  to  do  with  that:  this  is 
between  you  and  me." 

"  As  you  please," 

"  Ye  see  it  is  a  good  lump,  sir." 

"  Oh,  indeed  !  "  said  Hardie,  a  little  sneeringly. 

"  I  call  it  a  thundering  lot  o'  money.  But  I  suppose  it 
is  not  much  to  a  rich  banker  like  you."     Then  he  lowered 


HARD   CASH.  333 

his  voice,  and  said  with  a  certain  awe  :  "  It's  —  fourteen 
—  thousand  —  pounds." 

"Fourteen  thousand  pounds!"  cried  Hardie.  Then 
with  sudden  and  consummate  coolness,  "  Why,  certainly 
an  established  bank  like  this  deals  with  more  consider- 
able deposits  than  that.  Skinner,  why  don't  you  give 
the  man  a  chair  ?  " 

"  No,  no  !  "  said  Dodd.  "  I'll  heave  to  till  I  get  this  off 
my  mind ;  but  I  won't  anchor  anywhere  but  at  home." 
He  then  opened  the  pocket-book  and  spread  the  contents 
out  before  Mr.  Hardie,  who  ran  over  the  notes  and  bills, 
and  said  the  amount  was  £14,010.  12s.  6d. 

Dodd  asked  for  a  receipt. 

"  Why,  it  is  not  usual,  when  there  is  an  account." 

Dodd's  countenance  fell :  "  Oh,  I  should  not  like  to 
part  with  it,  unless  I  had  a  receipt." 

"  You  mistake  me,"  said  Hardie,  with  a  smile.  "  An 
entry  in  your  banker's  books  is  a  receipt.  However,  you 
can  have  one  in  another  form."  He  then  unlocked  a 
desk ;  took  out  a  banker's  receipt ;  and  told  Skinner  to 
fill  it  in.  This  done,  he  seemed  to  be  absorbed  in  some 
more  important  matter. 

Skinner  counted  the  notes  and  left  them  Avith  Mr. 
Hardie  ;  the  bills  he  took  to  his  desk  to  note  them  on 
the  back  of  the  receipt.  Whilst  he  was  writing  this 
with  his  usual  slowness  and  precision,  poor  Dodd's  heart 
oveiflowed:  "It  is  my  children's  fortune,  ye  see:  I  don't 
look  on  a  sixpence  of  it  as  mine  :  that  it  is  what  made 
me  so  particular.  It  belongs  to  my  little  Julia,  bless 
her !  —  she  is  a  rosebud  if  ever  there  was  one  ;  and  oh, 
such  a  heart ;  and  so  fond  of  her  poor  father ;  but  not 
fonder  than  he  is  of  her  —  and  to  my  dear  boy  Edward; 
he  is  the  honestest  young  chap  you  ever  saw :  what  he 
says,  3'ou  may  swear  to,  with  your  eyes  shut ;  but  how 
could  they  miss  either  good  looks  or  good  hearts,  and 


334  HARD   CASH. 

her  children  ?  the  best  wife  and  the  best  mother  in  Eng- 
land. She  has  been  a  true  consort  to  me  this  many  a 
year,  and  I  to  her,  in  deep  water  and  shoal,  let  the  wind 
blow  high  or  low.  Here  is  a  Simple  Simon  vaunting  his 
own  flesh  and  blood!  No  wonder  that  little  gentleman 
there  is  grinning  at  me:  well,  grin  away,  lad!  perhaps 
you  haven't  got  any  children.  But  you  have,  sir:  and 
you  know  how  it  is  with  us  fathers ;  our  hearts  are  so 
full  of  the  little  darlings,  out  it  must  come.  You  can 
understand  how  joyful  I  feel  at  saving  their  fortune 
from  land  sharks  and  sea  sharks,  and  landing  it  safe  in 
an  honest  man's  hands,  like  you  and  your  father  before 
you." 

Skinner  handed  him  the  receipt. 

He  cast  his  eye  over  it.  "  All  right,  little  gentleman. 
Now  my  heart  is  relieved  of  such  a  weight :  I  feel  to 
have  just  cleared  out  a  cargo  of  bricks.  Good-by ! 
shake  hands !  I  wish  you  were  as  happy  as  I  am.  I 
wish  all  the  world  was  happy.  God  bless  you !  God 
bless  you  both  !  " 

And  with  this  burst  he  was  out  of  the  room,  and 
making  ardently  for  Albion  Villa. 

The  banker  and  his  clerk  turned  round  on  their  seats 
and  eyed  one  another  a  long  time  in  silence  and  amaze- 
ment. 

Was  this  thing  a  dream  ?  their  faces  seemed  to  ask. 

Then  Mr.  Hardie  rested  his  senatorial  head  on  his 
hand,  and  pondered  deeply.  Skinner,  too,  reflected  on 
this  strange  freak  of  fortune  :  and  the  result  was  that  he 
burst  in  on  his  principal's  reverie  with  a  joyful  shout: 
"The  bank  is  saved  !  Hardie's  is  good  for  another  hun- 
dred years." 

The  banker  started,  for  Skinner's  voice  sounded  like  a 
pistol-shot  in  his  ear,  so  high  strung  Avas  he  with 
thought. 


HARD  CASH.  335 

"Hush!  hush!"  he  said:  and  pondered  again  in 
silence. 

At  last  he  turned  to  Skinner.  "  You  think  our  course 
is  plain  ?  I  tell  you  it  is  so  dark  and  complicated,  it 
would  puzzle  Solomon  to  know  what  is  best  to  be  done." 

"Save  the  bank,  sir!  whatever  you  do." 

"  How  can  I  save  the  bank  with  a  few  thousand  pounds, 
which  I  must  refund  when  called  on  ?  You  look  keenly 
into  what  is  under  your  eye.  Skinner ;  but  you  cannot 
see  a  yard  beyond  your  nose.     Let  me  think." 

After  awhile  he  took  a  sheet  of  paper,  and  jotted 
down  "  the  materials,"  as  he  called  them,  and  read  them 
out  to  his  accomplice. 

"  1.  A  bank  too  far  gone  to  be  redeemed.  If  I  throw 
this  money  into  it,  I  shall  ruin  Captain  Dodd,  and  do 
myself  no  good,  but  only  my  creditors. 

"  2.  Miss  Julia  Dodd,  virtual  proprietor  of  this  four- 
teen thousand  pounds :  or  of  the  greater  part,  if  I 
choose.  The  child  that  marries  first  usually  jockeys  the 
other. 

"  3.  Alfred  Hardie,  my  son  and  my  creditor,  deep  in 
love  with  Ko.  2,  and  at  present  somewhat  alienated  from 
me  by  my  thwarting  a  silly  love  affair;  which  bids  fair 
to  improve  into  a  sound  negotiation. 

"4.  The  fourteen  thousand  pounds  paid  to  me  per- 
sonally after  banking  hours,  anri  not  entered  on  the 
banking  books,  nor  known  but  to  you  and  me, 

"Now  suppose  I  treat  this  advance  as  a  personal  trust? 
The  bank  breaks ;  the  money  disappears.  Consternation 
of  the  Dodds,  who,  until  enlightened  by  the  public  set- 
tlement, will  think  it  has  gone  into  the  well. 

"In  that  interval  I  talk  Alfred  over;  and  promise  to 
produce  the  fourteen  thousand  pounds  intact,  with  my 
paternal  blessing  on  him  and  Miss  Dodd ;  provided  he 
will  release  me  from  my  debt  to  him,  and  give  me  a  life 


336  HARD   CASH. 

interest  in  half  the  money  settled  ou  him  by  ray  wife's 
father  to  my  most  unjust  and  insolent  exclusion.  Their 
passion  will  soon  bring  the  young  people  to  reason ;  and 
then  they  will  soon  melt  the  old  ones." 

Skinner  was  struck  with  this  masterly  little  sketch. 
But  he  detected  one  fatal  flaw :  "  You  don't  say  what  is 
to  become  of  me." 

''  Oh,  I  haven't  thought  of  that  yet." 

'•But  do  think  of  it,  sir!  that  I  may  have  the  pleasure 
of  co-operating.  It  would  never  do  for  you  and  me  to  be 
pulling  two  ways,  you  know." 

'•  I  will  not  forget  you,"  said  Hardie,  wincing  under 
the  chain  this  little  wretch  held  him  with,  and  had 
jerked  him  by  way  of  reminder. 

"But  surely,  Skinner,  you  agree  with  me  it  would  be 
a  sin  and  a  shame  to  rob  this  honest  captain  of  his 
money  —  for  my  creditors;  curse  them!  Ah,  you  are 
not  a  father.  How  quickly  he  found  that  out !  Well,  I 
am ;  and  he  touched  me  to  the  quick ;  I  love  my  little 
Jane  as  dearly  as  he  loves  his  Julia,  every  bit ;  and  I 
feel  for  him.  And  then  he  put  me  in  mind  of  my  own 
father ;  poor  man.  That  seems  strange,  doesn't  it  ?  a 
sailor ;  and  a  banker.  Ah  !  it  was  because  they  Avere 
both  honest  men.  Yes,  it  was  like  a  wholesome  flower 
coming  into  a  close  room,  and  then  out  again  and  leaving 
a  whiff  behind,  was  that  sailor.  He  left  the  savor  of 
probity  and  simplicity  behind,  though  he  took  the  things 
themselves  away  again.  Why,  why  couldn't  he  leave  us 
what  is  more  wanted  here  than  even  his  money?  His 
integrity ;  the  pearl  of  price,  that  my  father,  whom  I 
used  to  sneer  at,  carried  to  his  grave ;  and  died  simple, 
but  wise  ;  honest,  but  rich  ;  rich  in  money,  in  credit,  in 
honor,  and  eternal  hopes ;  0  Skinner  !  Skinner  !  I  wish 
I  had  never  been  born." 

Skinner  was  surprised ;  he  was  not  aware  that  intelli- 


HARD  CASH.  887 

gent  men,  who  sin,  are  subject  to  fits  of  remorse  ;  nay, 
more,  he  was  frightened;  for  the  emotion  of  this  iron 
man,  so  hard  to  move,  was  overpowering  when  it  came ; 
it  did  not  soften,  it  convulsed  him, 

''  Don't  talk  so,  sir,"  said  the  little  clerk,  "  Keep  up 
your  heart !     Have  a  drop  of  something." 

"  You  are  right,"  said  Mr.  Hardie,  gloomily ;  "  it  is 
idle  to  talk ;  we  are  all  the  slaves  of  circumstances," 

With  this,  he  unlocked  a  safe  that  stood  against  the 
wall,  chucked  the  fourteen  thousand  pounds  in,  and 
slammed  the  iron  door  sharply ;  and,  as  it  closed  upon 
the  cash  with  a  clang,  the  parlor  door  burst  open  as  if  by 
concert,  and  David  Dodd  stood  on  the  threshold,  looking 
terrible.  His  ruddy  color  was  all  gone,  and  he  seemed 
black  and  white  with  anger  and  anxiety.  And  out  of 
this  blanched,  yet  lowering  face,  his  eyes  glowed  like 
coals,  and  roved  keenly  to  and  fro  between  the  banker 
and  the  clerk. 

A  thunder-cloud  of  a  man. 


g38  HARD  CASH. 


CHAPTEK  XVI. 

James  Maxley  came  out  of  the  bank  that  morning 
with  nine  hundred  and  four  pounds  buttoned  up  tight  in 
the  pocket  of  his  leather  breeches,  a  joyful  man  ;  and  so 
to  his  work ;  and  home  at  one  o'clock  to  dinner. 

At  two  P.M.,  he  was  thoughtful ;  uneasy  at  three ; 
wretched  at  3.30. 

He  was  gardener  as  well  as  capitalist;  and  Mr.  Hardie 
owed  him  thirty  shillings  for  work. 

Such  is  human  nature  in  general,  and  Maxley's  in  par- 
ticular, that  the  nine  hundred  pounds  in  pocket  seemed 
small,  and  the  thirty  shillings  in  jeopardy,  large. 

"I  can't  afford  to  go  with  the  creditors,"  argued 
Maxley  ;  "  dividend  on  thirty  shillings  ?  why,  that  will 
be  about  thirty  pence ;  the  change  for  a  hard  *  half- 
crown." 

He  stuck  his  spade  in  the  soil,  and  made  for  his 
debtor's  house.  As  he  came  up  the  street,  Dodd  shot 
out  of  the  bank,  radiant,  and  was  about  to  pass  him  with- 
out notice,  full  of  his  wife  and  children ;  but  Maxley 
stopped  him  with  a  right  cordial  welcome,  and  told  him 
he  had  given  them  all  a  fright  this  time. 

"  What,  is  it  over  the  town  already,  that  my  ship  has 
been  wrecked  ?  "     And  Dodd  looked  annoyed. 

"  Wrecked  ?  No ;  but  you  have  been  due  this  two 
months,  ye  know.  Wrecked  ?  Why,  captain,  you 
haven't  ever  been  wrecked  ?  "  And  he  looked  him  all 
over  as  if  he  expected  to  see  "  wrecked  "  branded  ou 
him  by  the  elements. 

'  i.  e.,  a  half-crown  in  one  piece. 


HARD  CASH.  339 

"Ay,  James,  wrecked  on  the  French  coast,  and  lost 
ray  chronometer,  and  a  tiptop  sextant.  But  what  of 
that?  I  saved  It.  I  have  just  landed  It  in  the  bank. 
Good-by;  I  must  sheer  off;  I  long  to  be  home." 

"  Stay  a  bit,  captain,"  said  Maxley  ;  ''I  am  not  quite 
easy  in  my  mind.  I  saw  you  come  out  of  Hardie's ;  I 
thought  in  course  you  had  been  in  to  draa ;  but  you  says 
different.  Now,  what  was  it  you  did  leave  behind  you  at 
that  there  shop,  if  you  please  :  not  money  ?  " 

"Not  money?  Only  fourteen  thousand  pounds.  How 
the  man  stares  !  Why,  it's  not  mine,  James ;  it's  my 
children's ;  there,  good-by ;  "  and  he  was  actually  off  this 
time.  But  Maxley  stretched  his  long  limbs,  and  caught 
him  in  two  strides,  and  griped  his  shoulder  without 
ceremony.     "  Be  you  mad  ?  "  said  he,  sternly. 

"  No ;  but  I  begin  to  think  you  are." 

"  That  is  to  be  seen,"  said  Maxley,  gravely.  "  Before 
I  lets  you  go,  you  must  tell  me  whether  you  be  jesting, 
or  whether  you  have  really  been  so  simple  as  to  drop 
fourteen  —  thousand  —  pounds  at  Hardie's  ?  "  No  judge 
upon  the  bench,  nor  bishop  in  his  stall,  could  be  more 
impressive  than  this  gardener  was,  when  he  subdued  the 
vast  volume  of  his  voice  to  a  low,  grave  utterance  of  this 
sort. 

Dodd  began  to  be  uneasy.  "  Why,  good  heavens,  there 
IS  nothing  wrong  with  the  old  Barkington  bank  ?" 

"Nothing  wrong  ?"  roared  Maxley;  then  Avhispered, 
'•'  Holt !  I  was  laad  once  for  slander,  and  cost  me  thirty 
pounds  ;  nearly  killed  my  missus  it  did." 

•'  Man ! "  cried  Dodd,  "  for  my  children's  sake  tell  me 
if  you  know  anything  amiss.  After  all,  I'm  like  a 
stranger  here  ;  more  than  two  years  away  at  a  time." 

"  I'll  tell  you  all  I  know,"  whispered  Maxley,  "  'tis  the 
least  I  can  do.  What  (roaring)  do  —  you  —  think  —  I've 
forgotten  you  saving  my  poor  boy  out  o'  that  scrape,  and 


340  HARD   CASH. 

getting  him  a  good  place  in  Canada,  and  —  why,  he'd 
have  been  put  in  prison  but  for  you,  and  that  would  ha' 
broken  my  heart  and  his  mother's  —  and  " —  The  stout 
voice  began  to  quaver. 

"Oh,  bother  all  that  now,"  said  Dodd,  impatiently. 
"  The  bank  !  you  have  grounded  me  on  thorns." 

"  Well,  I'll  tell  ye  ;  but  you  must  promise  faithful  not 
to  go  and  say  I  told  ye,  or  you'll  get  me  laad  again ;  and 
I  likes  to  laa  them,  not  for  they  to  laa  me." 

"  I  promise,  I  promise." 

"  Well  then,  I  got  a  letter  to-day  from  my  boy,  him  as 
you  was  so  good  to,  and  here  'tis  in  my  breeches  pocket, 
—  Laws  !  how  things  do  come  round  snveli/  ;  why,  lookee 
here  now  ;  if  so  be  you  hadn't  been  a  good  friend  to  he, 
he  wouldn't  be  where  he  is  :  and  if  so  be  he  warn't  where 
he  is,  he  couldn't  have  writ  me  this  here,  and  then  where 
should  you  and  7  be  ?  " 

"  Belay  your  jaw,  and  show  me  this  letter,"  cried 
David,  trembling  all  over. 

"  That  I  wool,"  said  Maxley,  diving  a  hand  into  his 
pocket.  "  Hush !  lookee  yander  now ;  if  there  ain't 
Master  Alfred  a-watching  of  us  two  out  of  his  window ; 
and  he  have  got  an  eye  like  a  hawk,  he  have.  Step  in 
the  passage,  captain,  and  I'll  show  it  you." 

He  drew  him  aside  into  the  passage,  and  gave  him  the 
letter.  Dodd  ran  his  eye  over  it  hastily,  uttered  a  cry 
like  a  wounded  lion,  dropped  it,  gave  a  slight  stagger, 
and  rushed  away. 

Maxley  picked  up  his  letter,  and  watched  Dodd  into 
the  bank  again  ;  and  reflected  on  his  work.  His  heart 
was  warmed  at  having  made  a  return  to  the  good  captain. 

His  head  suggested  that  he  was  on  the  road  which 
leads  to  libel. 

But  he  had  picked  up  at  the  assizes  a  smattering  of 
the  law  of  evidence ;   so  he  coolly   tore  the  letter  in 


HARD  CASH.  341 

pieces.  "  There  now,"  said  he  to  himself,  "  if  Hardies 
do  laa  me  for  publishing  of  this  here  letter,  why,  they 
pours  their  water  into  a  sieve.  Ugh  !  "  And  with  this 
exclamation  he  started,  and  then  put  his  heavy  boot  on 
part  of  the  letter,  and  ground  it  furtively  into  the  mud  ; 
for  a  light  hand  had  settled  on  his  shoulder,  and  a  keen 
young  face  was  close  to  his. 

It  was  Alfred  Hardie,  who  had  stolen  on  him  like  a 
cat.     "  I'm  laad,"  thouglit  Maxley. 

"  Maxley,  old  fellow,"  said  Alfred,  in  a  voice  as  coax- 
ing as  a  woman's,  "  are  you  in  a  good  humor  ?  " 

"  Well,  Master  Halfred,  sight  of  you  mostly  puts  me 
in  one,  especially  after  that  there  strychnine  job." 

"  Then  tell  me,"  whispered  Alfred,  his  eyes  sparkling, 
and  his  face  beaming,  '•'  who  was  that  you  were  talking 
to  just  now  ?  —  was  it  —  wasn't  it  —  who  was  it  ?  " 


342  HARD   CASH. 


CHAPTER    XVII. 

While  Dodd  stood  lowering  in  the  doorway,  he  was 
nevertheless  making  a  great  effort  to  control  his  agita- 
tion. 

At  last  he  said  in  a  stern  but  low  voice,  in  which,  how- 
ever, a  quick  ear  might  detect  a  tremor  of  agitation,  "  I 
have  changed  my  mind,  sir ;   I  want  my  money  back." 

At  this,  though  David's  face  had  prepared  him,  Mr. 
Hardie's  heart  sank  ;  but  there  was  no  help  for  it ;  he 
said  faintly,  "  Certainly.  May  I  ask  "  —  and  there  he 
stopped ;  for  it  Avas  hardly  prudent  to  ask  anything. 

"  No  matter,"  replied  Dodd,  his  agitation  rising  even 
at  this  slight  delay ;  "  come  !  my  money  !  I  must  and 
will  have  it." 

Hardie  drew  himself  up  majestically.  "  Captain 
Dodd,  this  is  a  strange  way  of  demanding  what  nobody 
here  disputes." 

"Well,  I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Dodd,  a  little  awed 
by  his  dignity  and  fairness  :  "  but  I  can't  help  it." 

The  quick,  supple  banker  saw  the  slight  advantage  he 
had  gained,  and  his  mind  went  into  a  whirl ;  what 
should  he  do  ?  It  was  death  to  part  with  this  money 
and  gain  nothing  by  it ;  sooner  tell  Dodd  of  the  love 
affair,  and  open  a  treaty  on  this  basis ;  he  clung  to  this 
money  like  limpet  to  its  rock ;  and  so  intense  and  rapid 
were  his  thoughts  and  schemes  how  to  retain  it  a  little 
longer,  that  David's  apologies  buzzed  in  his  ear  like  the 
drone  of  a  beetle. 

The  latter  went  on  to  say,  "  You  see,  sir,  it's  my  chil- 


HARD  CASH.  343 

dreii's  fortune,  my  boy  Edward's  and  my  little  Julia's ; 
and  so  many  have  been  trying  to  get  it  from  me,  that  my 
blood  boils  up  in  a  moment  about  it  now.  —  My  poor 
head !  —  You  don't  seem  to  understand  what  I  am  say- 
ing !  there  then,  I  am  a  sailor ;  I  can't  go  beating  and 
tacking,  like  you  landsmen,  with  the  wind  dead  astarn  ; 
the  long  and  the  short  is,  I  don't  feel  it  safe  here ;  don't 
feel  it  safe  anywhere,  except  in  my  wife's  lap.  So  no 
more  words  ;  here's  your  receipt ;  give  me  my  money." 

"  Certainly,  Captain  Dodd.  Call  to-morrow  morning 
at  the  bank,  and  it  will  be  paid  on  demand  in  the  regular 
way ;  the  bank  opens  at  ten  o'clock." 

"  No,  no  ;  I  can't  wait.  I  should  be  dead  of  anxiety 
before  then.  Why  not  pay  it  me  here,  and  now  ?  You 
took  it  here." 

"  We  receive  deposits  till  four  o'clock  ;  but  we  do  not 
disburse  after  three.     This  is  the  system  of  all  banks." 

"  That  is  all  nonsense  ;  if  you  are  open  to  receive 
money,  you  are  open  to  pay  it." 

"My  dear  sir,  if  you  were  not  entirely  ignorant  of 
business,  you  would  be  aware  that  these  things  are  not 
done  in  this  way  ;  money  received  is  passed  to  account, 
and  the  cashier  is  the  only  person  who  can  honor  your 
draft  on  it :  but,  stop  ;  if  the  cashier  is  in  the  bank,  we 
may  manage  it  for  you  yet ;  Skinner,  run  and  see 
whether  he  has  left ;  and,  if  not,  send  him  to  me 
directly."     The  cashier  took  his  cue,  and  ran  out. 

David  was  silent. 

The  cashier  speedily  returned,  saying,  with  a  dis- 
appointed air,  "  The  cashier  has  been  gone  this  quarter 
of  an  hour." 

David  maintained  an  ominous  silence. 

'*  That  is  unfortunate,"  remarked  Hardie.  "  But,  after 
all,  it  is  only  till  to-morrow  morning:  still  I  regret  this 
circumstance,  sir ;  and  I  feel  that  all  these  precautions 


344  HARD   CASH. 

we  are  obliged  to  take  must  seem  unreasonable  to  you : 
but  experience  dictates  this  severe  routine ;  and,  were 
we  to  deviate  from  it,  our  friends'  money  would  not  be 
so  safe  in  our  hands  as  it  always  has  been  at  present." 

David  eyed  him  sternly,  but  let  him  run  on.  When 
he  had  concluded  his  flowing  periods,  David  said  quietly, 
"So  you  can't  give  me  my  own  because  your  cashier 
has  carried  it  away  ?  " 

Hardie  smiled:  "No,  no;  but  because  he  has  locked 
it  up,  and  carried  away  the  key." 

"  It  is  not  in  this  room,  then  ?  " 

«No." 

"  Are  you  sure  ?  " 

*'  Positive." 

"  What,  not  in  that  safe  of  yours,  there  ?  ** 

"  Certainly  not,"  said  Hardie,  stoutly. 

"  Open  the  safe :  the  keys  are  in  it." 

"  Open  the  safe  ?     What  for  ?  " 

"To  show  me  it  is  not  in  the  right-hand  partition 
of  that  safe;  there:  there."  And  David  pointed  at  the 
very  place  where  it  was. 

The  dignified  Mr.  Hardie  felt  ready  to  sink  with 
shame :  a  kind  of  shudder  passed  througli  him,  and  he 
was  about  to  comply,  heart-sick :  but  then  wounded  pride 
and  the  rage  of  disappointment  stung  him,  and  he  turned 
in  defiance:  "You  are  impertinent,  sir:  and  I  shall  not 
reward  your  curiosity  and  your  insolence  by  showing 
you  the  contents  of  my  safes." 

"  My  money !  my  money  ! "  cried  David,  fiercely  :  "  no 
more  words,  for  I  sha'n't  listen  to  them :  I  know  you 
now  for  what  you  are  !  a  thief !  I  sazv  you  put  it  into 
that  safe :  a  liar  is  always  a  thief.  You  want  to  steal 
my  children's  money :  I'll  have  your  life  first.  My 
money,  ye  pirate,  or  I'll  strangle  you ! "  And  he  ad- 
vanced upon  him  purple  with  rage,  and  shot  out  his  long 


HAKDIE    GUT    THE    NOTES   AND    BILLS    ALL    IX    A    HURRY. 


HARD   CASH.  345 

threatening  arm,  and  brown  fingers  working  in  the  air. 
"D'ye  know  what  I  did  to  a  French  land-shark  that 
tried  to  rob  me  of  it?  I  throttled  him  with  these  fin- 
gers till  his  eyes  and  his  tongue  started  out  of  him;  he 
came  for  m}^  children's  money,  and  I  killed  him  so  —  so 
—  so  —  as  I'll  kill  you,  you  thief !  you  liar !  you  scoun- 
drel ! " 

His  face  black  and  convulsed  with  rage,  and  his  out- 
stretched fingers  working  convulsively,  and  hungering 
for  a  rogue's  throat,  made  the  resolute  Hardie  quake ; 
he  whipped  out  of  the  furious  man's  way,  and  got  to  the 
safe,  pale  and  trembling.  "  Hush  !  no  violence  !  "  he 
gasped:  "I'll  give  you  your  money  this  moment,  you 
ruffian." 

While  he  unlocked  the  safe  with  trembling  hands, 
Dodd  stood  like  a  man  petrified:  his  arm  and  fingers 
stretched  out  and  threatening;  and  Skinner  saw  him 
pull  at  his  necktie  furiously,  like  one  choking. 

Hardie  got  the  notes  and  bills  all  in  a  hurry,  and  held 
them  out  to  Dodd. 

In  which  act,  to  his  consternation,  and  surprise,  and 
indignation,  he  received  a  back-handed  blow  on  the  eye 
that  dazzled  him  for  an  instant;  and  there  was  David 
with  his  arms  struggling  wildly,  and  his  fists  clenched, 
his  face  purple,  and  his  eyes  distorted  so  that  little  was 
seen  but  the  whites  ;  the  next  moment  his  teeth  gnashed 
loudly  together,  and  he  fell  headlong  on  the  floor  with  a 
concussion  so  momentous,  that  the  windows  rattled, 
and  the  room  shook  violently ;  the  dust  rose  in  a  cloud. 

A  loud  ejaculation  burst  from  Hardie  and  Skinner. 

And  then  there  was  an  awful  silence. 


346  HARD   CASH. 


CHAPTER   XVIIT. 

When  David  fell  senseless  on  the  floor,  Mr.  Hardie 
was  somewhat  confused  by  the  back-handed  blow  from 
his  convulsed  and  whirling  arm.  But  Skinner  ran  to 
him,  held  up  his  head,  and  whipped  off  his  neckcloth. 

Then  Hardie  turned  to  seize  the  bell  and  ring  for 
assistance ;  but  Skinner  shook  his  head  and  said  it  was 
useless ;  this  was  no  faint :  old  Betty  could  not  help  him. 

"It  is  a  bad  day's  w^ork,  sir,"  said  he,  trembling:  "he 
is  a  dead  man." 

"  Dead  ?     Heaven  forbid  ! " 

"  Apoplexy  !  "  whispered  Skinner. 

"  Run  for  a  doctor  then  :  lose  no  time :  don't  let  us 
have  his  blood  on  our  hands.     Dead  ?  " 

And  he  repeated  the  word  this  ^Mne  in  a  very  different 
tone ;  a  tone  too  strange  and  significant  to  escape  Skin- 
ner's quick  ear.  However,  he  lairl  David's  head  gently 
down,  and  rose  from  his  knees  to  obey. 

What  did  he  see  now,  but  ]\[r.  Hardie,  with  his  back 
turned,  putting  the  notes  and  bills  softly  into  the  safe 
again  oxit  of  sight !  He  saw,  comprehended,  and  took 
his  own  course  with  equal  raoidity. 

"Come,  run!"  cried  Mr,  Hardie;  "I'll  take  care  of 
him ;  every  moment  is  precious." 

"Wants  to  get  rid  of  me!"  thought  Skinner.  "No, 
sir,"  said  he,  "  be  ruled  by  mc :  let  us  take  him  to  his 
friends :  he  won't  live ;  and  we  shall  get  all  the  blame  if 
we  doctor  him." 

Already  egotism  had  whispered  Hardie,  "  How  lucky 
if    he  should  die  ! "    and  now  a  still  guiltier  thought 


HARD   CASH.  347 

flashed  through  him :  he  did  not  try  to  conquer  it ;  he 
only  trembled  at  himself  for  entertaining  it. 

"  At  least  give  him  air ! "  said  he,  in  a  quavering 
voice,  consenting  in  a  crime,  yet  compromising  with  his 
conscience,  feebly. 

He  threw  the  window  open  with  great  zeal,  with  pro- 
digious zeal :  for  he  wanted  to  deceive  himself  as  well 
as  Skinner.  With  equal  parade  he  helped  carry  Dodd 
to  the  window ;  it  opened  on  the  ground  :  this  done,  the 
self-deceivers  put  their  heads  together,  and  soon  man- 
aged matters  so  that  two  porters,  known  to  Skinner, 
were  introduced  into  the  garden,  and  informed  that  a 
gentleman  had  fallen  down  in  a  fit,  and  they  were  to 
take  him  home  to  his  friends,  and  not  talk  about  it  : 
there  might  be  an  inquest,  and  that  was  so  disagreeable 
to  a  gentleman  like  Mr.  Hardie.  The  men  agreed  at 
once  for  a  sovereign  apiece.  It  was  all  done  in  a  great 
hurry  and  agitation,  and  while  Skinner  accompanied  the 
men  to  see  that  they  did  not  blab,  Mr.  Hardie  went  into 
the  garden  to  breathe  and  think.    But  he  could  do  neither. 

He  must  have  a  look  at  it. 

He  stole  back,  opened  the  safe,  and  examined  the 
notes  and  bills. 

He  fingered  them. 

They  seemed  to  grow  to  his  finger. 

He  lusted  after  them. 

He  said  to  himself,  *'  The  matter  has  gone  too  far  to 
stop ;  I  must  go  on  borrowing  this  money  of  the  Dodds, 
and  make  it  the  basis  of  a  large  fortune :  it  will  be  best 
for  all  parties  in  the  end." 

He  put  it  into  his  pocket-book  :  that  pocket-book  into 
his  breast-pocket ;  and  passed  by  his  private  door  into 
the  house  :  and  to  his  dressing-room. 

Ten  minutes  later  he  left  the  house  with  a  little  black 
bag  in  his  hand. 


348  HARD  CASH. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

"What  will  ye  giv^e  me,  and  I'll  tell  ye  ?  "  said  Maxley 
to  Alfred  Hardie. 

"  Five  pounds." 

"  That  is  too  much." 

"Five  shillings,  then." 

"  That  is  too  little.  Lookee  here ;  your  garden  owes 
me  thirty  shillings  for  work  :  suppose  you  pays  me,  and 
that  will  save  me  from  going  to  your  dad  for  it." 

Alfred  consented  readily,  and  paid  the  money.  Then 
Maxley  told  him  it  was  Captain  Dodd  he  had  been  talk- 
ing with. 

"  I  thought  so  !  I  thought  so  ! "  cried  Alfred,  joyfully, 
"but  I  was  afraid  to  believe  it :  it  was  too  delightful: 
Maxley,  you're  a  trump :  you  don't  know  what  anxiety 
you  have  relieved  me  of ;  some  fool  has  gone  and  re- 
ported the  Agra  wrecked  ;  look  here  ! "  and  he  showed 
him  his  Lloyd's;  "luckily  it  has  only  just  come;  so  I 
haven't  been  miserable  long." 

"  Well,  to  be  sure,  news  flies  fast  nowadays.  He  have 
been  wrecked,  for  that  matter."  He  then  surprised 
Alfred  by  telling  him  all  he  had  just  learned  from 
Dodd ;  and  was  going  to  let  out  about  the  fourteen 
thousand  pounds,  when  he  recollected  this  was  the 
banker's  son,  and  while  he  was  talking  to  him,  it  sud- 
denly struck  Maxley  that  this  young  gentleman  would 
come  down  in  the  world,  should  the  bank  break  :  and 
then  the  Dodds,  he  concluded,  judging  others  by  him- 
self, would  be  apt  to  turn  their  backs  on  him.  Now  he 
liked  Alfred,  and  was  disposed  to  do  him  a  good  turn, 


HARD   CASH.  349 

when  he  could  without  hurting  James  Maxley.  "Mr. 
Alfred,"  said  he,  "I  know  the  world  better  than  you  do: 
you  be  ruled  by  me,  or  you'll  rue  it :  you  put  on  your 
Sunday  coat  this  minute,  and  off  like  a  shot  to  Albyn 
Yillee ;  you'll  get  there  before  the  captain :  he  have  got 
a  little  business  to  do  first ;  that  is  neither  here  nor 
there  ;  besides,  you  are  young  and  lissom.  You  be  the 
first  to  tell  Missus  Dodd  the  good  news ;  and,  when  the 
captain  comes,  there  sets  you  aside  Miss  Julee  :  and 
don't  you  be  shy  and  shamefaced :  take  him  when  his 
heart  is  warm,  and  tell  him  why  you  are  there  :  '  I  love 
her  dear,'  says  you.  He  be  only  a  sailor,  and  they  never 
has  no  sense  nor  prudence :  he  is  a'most  sure  to  take  you 
by  the  hand,  at  such  a  time :  and  once  you  get  his  word, 
he'll  stand  good,  to  his  own  hurt ;  he's  one  of  that  sort, 
bless  his  sill}-  old  heart." 

A  good  deal  of  this  was  unintelligible  to  Alfred  ;  but 
the  advice  seemed  good ;  advice  generally  does  when  it 
squares  with  our  own  wishes :  he  thanked  Maxley,  left 
him,  made  a  hasty  toilet,  and  ran  to  Albion  Villa. 

Sarah  opened  the  door  to  him ;  in  tears. 

The  news  of  the  wreck  had  come  to  Albion  Villa  just 
half  an  hour  ago ;  and  in  that  half-hour  they  had  tasted 
more  misery  than  hitherto  their  peaceful  lot  had  brought 
them  in  years.  Mrs.  Dodd  was  praying  and  crying  in 
her  room  ;  Julia  had  put  on  her  bonnet,  and  was  descend- 
ing in  deep  distress  and  agitation,  to  go  down  to  the 
quay  and  learn  more  if  possible. 

Alfred  saw  her  on  the  stairs,  and  at  sight  of  her  pale, 
agitated  face,  flew  to  her. 

She  held  out  both  hands  piteously  to  him  :  ''0  Alfred ! " 

"  Good  news  ! "  he  panted.  "  He  is  alive  ;  Maxley 
has  seen  him  —  I  have  seen  him  —  he  will  be  here 
directly  —  my  own  love,  dry  your  eyes  —  calm  your 
fears  —  he  is  safe  ;  he  is  well :  hurrah  !  hurrah ! " 


350  HARD   CASH. 

The  girl's  pale  face  flushed  red  with  hope,  then  pale 
again  with  emotion,  then  rosy  red  with  transcendent 
joy  :  "  Oh,  bless  you !  bless  you ! "  she  murmured,  in 
her  sweet  gurgle  so  full  of  heart :  then  took  his  head 
passionately  with  both  her  hands,  as  if  she  was  going  to 
kiss  him  :  uttered  a  little  inarticulate  cry  of  love  and 
gratitude  over  him,  then  turned  and  flew  up  the  stairs, 
crying  "  Mamma !  mamma  ! "  and  burst  into  her  mother's 
room.  When  two  such  impetuosities  meet  as  Alfred  and 
Julia,  expect  quick  work. 

What  happened  in  Mrs.  Dodd's  room  may  be  imagined : 
and  soon  both  ladies  came  hastily  out  to  Alfred,  and  he 
found  himself  in  the  drawing-room  seated  between  them, 
and  holding  a  hand  of  each,  and  playing  the  man  de- 
lightfully, soothing  and  assuring  them ;  Julia  believed 
him  at  a  word,  and  beamed  with  unmixed  delight  and 
anticipation  of  the  joyful  meeting  ;  Mrs.  Dodd  cost  him 
more  trouble  :  her  soft  hand  trembled  still  in  his ;  and 
she  put  question  upon  question.  But,  when  he  told  her 
he  with  his  own  eyes  had  seen  Captain  Dodd  talking  to 
Maxley,  and  gathered  from  Maxley  he  had  been  ship- 
wrecked on  the  coast  of  France,  and  lost  his  chronom- 
eter and  his  sextant,  these  details  commanded  credit; 
bells  were  rung :  the  captain's  dressing-room  ordered  to 
be  got  ready ;  the  cook  put  on  her  mettle,  and  Alfred 
invited  to  stay  and  dine  with  the  long-expected  one  : 
and  the  house  of  mourning  became  the  house  of  joy. 

"  And  then  it.  was  he  who  brought  the  good  news," 
whispered  Julia  to  her  mother ;  "  and  that  is  so  sweet." 

'^  Yes,  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd ;  "  he  will  make  even  me 
love  him.  The  fourteen  thousand  pounds  !  I  hope  that 
was  not  lost  in  the  wreck." 

"0  mamma,  who  cares?  when  his  own  dear,  sweet, 
precious  life  has  been  in  danger,  and  is  mercifully  pre- 
served.    Why  does  he  not  come  ?     I  shall  scold  him  for 


ttARb  CASH.  aoi 

keeping  us  waiting  :  you  know  I  am  not  a  bit  afraid  of 
him,  though  he  is  papa :  indeed,  I  am  ashamed  to  say  I 
govern  him  with  a  rod  of  —  no  matter  what.  Do,  do,  do 
let  us  all  three  put  on  our  bonnets,  and  run  and  meet 
him.  I  want  him  so  to  love  somebody  the  very  first 
day." 

Mrs  Dodd  said,  "  Well,  wait  a  few  minutes,  and  then 
if  he  is  not  here  you  two  shall  go.  I  dare  hardly  trust 
myself  to  meet  my  darling  husband  in  the  open  street." 

Julia  ran  to  Alfred :  "  If  he  does  not  come  in  ten  min- 
utes, you  and  I  may  go  and  meet  him." 

"  You  are  an  angel,"  murmured  Alfred. 

"  You  are  another,"  said  Julia,  haughtily.  "  Oh,  dear  ! 
I  can't  sit  down,  and  I  don't  want  flattery :  I  want  papa. 
A  waltz !  a  waltz !  then  one  can  go  mad  with  joy  without 
startling  propriety  :  I  can't  answer  for  the  consequences 
if  I  don't  let  off  a  little,  little  happiness." 

"  That  I  will,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd,  '•'  for  I  am  as  happy 
as  you,  and  happier."     She  played  a  waltz. 

Julia's  eyes  were  a  challenge.  Alfred  started  up  and 
took  her  ready  hand,  and  soon  the  gay  young  things 
were  whirling  round,  —  the  happiest  pair  in  England. 

But  in  the  middle  of  the  joyous  whirl,  Julia's  quick 
ear,  on  the  watch  all  the  time,  heard  the  gate  swing  to : 
she  glided  like  an  eel  from  Alfred's  arm,  and  ran  to  the 
window.  Arrived  there,  she  made  three  swift  vertical 
bounds  like  a  girl  with  a  skipping-rope,  only  her  hands 
were  clapping  in  the  air  at  the  same  time  ;  then  down 
the  stairs,  screaming,  "  His  chest !  his  chest !  he  is  com- 
ing, coming,  come." 

Alfred  ran  after  her. 

Mrs.  Dodd,  unable  to  race  with  such  antelopes,  slipped 
quietly  out  into  the  little  balcony. 

Julia  had  seen  two  men  carrying  a  trestle  with  a  tar- 
paulin  over  itj  and   a   third   walking   beside.      Dodd's 


352  HARD   CASH. 

heavy  sea-chest  had  been  more  than  once  carried  home 
this  way.  Slie  met  the  men  at  the  door,  and  overpowered 
them  witli  questions. 

"  Is  it  his  clothes  ?  then  he  wasn't  so  much  wrecked 
after  all.  Is  he  with  you  ?  is  he  coming  directly  ? 
Why  don't  you  tell  me  ?  " 

The  porters  at  first  wore  the  stolid,  impassive  faces  of 
their  tribe,  but,  when  this  bright  young  creature  ques- 
tioned them,  brimming  over  with  ardor  and  joy,  their 
countenances  fell,  and  they  hung  their  heads. 

The  little,  sharp-faced  man,  who  was  walking  beside 
the  other,  stepped  forward  to  reply  to  Julia. 

He  was  interrupted  by  a  terrible  scream  from  the 
balcony. 

Mrs.  Dodd  was  leaning  wildly  over  it,  with  dilating 
eyes  and  quivering  hand  that  pointed  down  to  the  other 
side  of  the  trestle  :  "  Julia !  Julia !  " 

Julia  ran  round,  and  stood  petrified,  her  pale  lips 
apart,  and  all  her  innocent  joy  frozen  in  a  moment. 

The  tarpaulin  was  scanty  there,  and  a  man's  hand 
and  part  of  his  arm  dangled  helpless  out. 

The  hand  was  blanched,  and  wore  a  well-known  ring. 


HAED   CASH.  353 


CHAPTER  XX. 

In  the  terror  and  confusion  no  questions  were  then 
aslied.  Alfred  got  to  David's  head,  and  told  Skinner  to 
take  his  feet :  Mrs.  Dodd  helped,  and  they  carried  him  up 
and  laid  him  on  her  bed.  The  servant-girls  cried,  and 
wailed,  and  were  of  little  use ;  Mrs.  Dodd  hurried  them 
off  for  medical  aid,  and  she  and  Julia,  though  pale  as 
ghosts,  and  trembling  in  every  limb,  were  tearless,  and 
almost  silent,  and  did  all  for  the  best.  They  undid  a 
shirt-button  that  confined  his  throat ;  they  set  his  head 
high,  and  tried  their  poor  little  eau-de-Cologne  and  femi- 
nine remedies;  and  each  of  them  held  an  insensible 
hand  in  both  hers,  clasping  it  piteously  and  trying  to 
hold  him  tight,  so  that  Death  should  not  take  him  away 
from  them. 

"  ]\ry  son,  where  is  my  son  ?  "  sighed  Mrs.  Dodd. 

Alfred  threw  his  arm  round  her  neck.  "You  have 
one  son  here  :  what  shall  I  do  ?  " 

The  next  minute  he  was  running  to  the  telegraph- 
office  for  her. 

At  the  gate  he  found  Skinner  hanging  about,  and 
asked  him  hurriedly  hoAV  the  calamity  had  happened. 
Skinner  said  Captain  Dodd  had  fallen  down  senseless  in 
the  street,  and  he  had  passed  soon  after,  recognized  him, 
and  brought  him  home.  "  I  have  paid  the  men,  sir :  I 
wouldn't  let  them  ask  the  ladies  at  such  a  time." 

"  Oh,  thank  you  !  thank  you.  Skinner !  I  will  repay 
you :  it  is  me  you  have  obliged."  And  Alfred  ran  off 
with  the  words  in  his  mouth. 

Skinner  looked  after  him  and  muttered,  "  I  forgot 
23 


354  HARD   CASH. 

hhn.  It  is  a  nice  mess  :  wish  I  was  out  of  it."  And  he 
went  back,  hanging  his  head,  to  Alfred's  father. 

Mr.  Osmond  met  him.  Skinner  turned  and  saw  him 
enter  the  villa. 

Mr.  Osmond  came  softly  into  the  room,  examined 
Dodd's  eye,  felt  his  pulse,  and  said  he  must  be  bled  at 
once. 

Mrs.  Dodd  was  averse  to  this.  "  Oh,  let  us  try  every- 
thing else  first,"  said  she ;  but  Osmond  told  her  there 
was  no  other  remedy.  *'  All  the  functions  we  rely  on  in 
the  exhibition  of  medicines  are  suspended." 

Dr.  Short  now  drove  up,  and  was  ushered  in. 

Mrs.  Dodd  asked  him  imploringly  whether  it  was 
necessary  to  bleed.  But  Dr.  Short  knew  his  business 
too  well  to  be  entrapped  into  an  independent  opinion 
where  a  surgeon  had  been  before  him.  He  drew  Mr. 
Osmond  apart,  and  inquired  what  he  had  recommended ; 
this  ascertained,  he  turned  to  Mrs.  Dodd  and  said,  "  I 
advise  venesection  or  cupping." 

"0  Dr.  Short,  pray  have  pity,  and  order  something 
less  terrible.     Dr.  Sampson  is  so  averse  to  bleeding." 

"  Sampson  ?  Sampson  ?  never  heard  of  him." 

"  It  is  the  chronothermal  man,"  said  Osmond. 

"  Oh,  ah  !  but  this  is  too  serious  a  case  to  be  quacked. 
Coma,  with  stertor,  and  a  full,  bounding  pulse,  indicates 
liberal  blood-letting.  I  would  try  venesection,  then  cup, 
if  necessary,  or  leech  the  temple.  I  need  not  say,  sir, 
calomel  must  complete  the  cure.  The  case  is  simple, 
and,  at  present,  surgical ;  I  leave  it  in  competent  hands." 
And  he  retired,  leaving  the  inferior  practitioner  well 
pleased  with  him  and  with  himself, — no  insignificant 
part  of  a  physician's  art. 

When  he  was  gone,  Mr.  Osmond  told  jNIrs.  Dodd  that 
however  crotchety  Dr.  Sampson  might  be,  he  was  an 
able  man,  and  had  very  properly  resisted  the  indiscrimi- 


HARD  CASH.  355 

nate  use  of  the  lancet :  the  profession  owed  him  much. 
'•'  But  in  apoplexy  the  leech  and  the  lancet  are  still  our 
sheet  anchors." 

jNIrs.  Dodd  uttered  a  faint  shriek.  *'  Apoplexy  !  0 
David !  Oh,  my  darling !  have  you  come  home  for 
this  ?  " 

Osmond  assured  her  apoplexy  was  not  necessarily 
fatal,  provided  the  cerebral  blood-vessels  were  relieved 
in  time  by  depletion. 

The  fixed  eye,  and  terrible  stertorous  breathing  on  the 
one  hand,  and  the  promise  of  relief  on  the  other,  over- 
powered Mrs.  Dodd's  reluctance.  She  sent  Julia  out  of 
the  room  on  a  pretext,  and  then  consented  with  tears  to 
David's  being  bled.  But  she  would  not  yield  to  leave 
the  room  ;  no,  this  tender  woman  nerved  herself  to  see 
her  husband's  blood  flow,  sooner  than  risk  his  being 
bled  too  much  by  the  hard  hand  of  custom.  Let  the 
peevish  fools,  who  make  their  own  troubles  in  love,  com- 
pare their  slight  and  merited  pangs  with  this :  she  was 
his  true  lover  and  his  wife,  yet  there  she  stood  with  eye 
horror-stricken  yet  unflinching,  and  saw  the  stab  of  the 
little  lancet,  and  felt  it  deeper  than  she  would  a  javelin 
through  her  own  body,  and  watched  the  blood  run  that 
was  dearer  to  her  than  her  own. 

At  the  first  prick  of  the  lancet  David  shivered,  and, 
as  the  blood  escaped,  his  eye  unfixed,  and  the  pupils 
contracted  and  dilated,  and  once  he  sighed.  *'  Good 
sign  that,"  said  Osmond. 

"  Oh,  that  is  enough,  sir,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd :  "  we  shall 
faint  if  you  take  any  more." 

Osmond  closed  the  vein,  observing  that  a  local  bleeding 
would  do  the  rest.  When  he  had  stanched  the  blood, 
Mrs.  Dodd  sank  half  fainting  in  her  chair;  by  some 
marvellous  sympathy  it  was  she  who  had  been  bled,  and 
whose  vein  was  now  closed.     Osmond  sprinkled  water 


356  HARD  CASH. 

in  her  face  :  she  tlianked  him,  and  said  sweetly,  "You 
see  I  couhl  not  have  lost  any  more." 

When  it  was  over  she  came  to  tell  Julia ;  she  found 
her  sitting  on  the  stairs  crying,  and  pale  as  marble.  She 
suspected.  And  there  was  Alfred  hanging  over  her,  and 
in  agony  at  her  grief  :  out  came  his  love  for  her  in  words 
and  accents  unmistakable,  and  this  in  Osmond's  hearing 
and  the  maid's. 

''  Oh,  hush !  hush  !  "  cried  poor  Mrs.  Dodd,  and  her 
face  was  seen  to  burn  through  her  tears. 

And  this  was  the  happy,  quiet  little  villa  of  my  open- 
ing chapters. 

Ah,  Kichard  Hardie  !  Richard  Hardie  ! 

The  patient  was  cupped  on  the  nape  of  the  neck  by 
Mr.  Osmond,  and,  on  the  glasses  drawing,  showed  signs 
of  consciousness,  and  the  breathing  was  relieved  ;  these 
favorable  symptoms  were  neither  diminished  nor  in- 
creased by  the  subsequent  application  of  the  cupping 
needles. 

"  We  have  turned  the  corner,"  said  Mr.  Osmond, 
cheerfully. 

Rap,  rap,  rap  came  a  telegraphic  message  from  Dr. 
Sampson,  and  was  brought  up  to  the  sickroom. 

"  Out  visiting  patients  when  yours  came.  In  apoplexy  with 
a  red  face  and  stertorous  breathing,  put  tlie  feet  in  mustard 
bath  and  dash  much  cold  water  on  the  head  from  above.  On 
revival  give  emetic ;  cure  with  sulphate  of  quinine.  In  apo- 
plexy with  a  white  face,  treat  as  for  a  simple  faint :  here  emetic 
dangerous.  In  neither  apoplexy  bleed.  Coming  down  by 
train." 

This  message  added  to  Mrs.  Dodd's  alarm,  the  whole 
treatment  varied  so  far  from  what  had  been  done.  She 
faltered  her  misgivings  :  Osmond  reassured  her.  "  Not 
bleed  in  apoplexy  !  "  said  he  superciliously  ;  "  why,  it  is 


HARD   CASH.  357 

the  universal  practice.  Judge  for  yourself.  You  see 
the  improvement."     Mrs.  Dodd  admitted  it. 

"  Then  as  to  the  cold  water,"  said  Osmond,  "  I  would 
hardly  advise  so  rough  a  remedy.  And  he  is  going  on 
so  well.  But  you  can  send  for  ice,  and,  meantime,  give 
me  a  good-sized  stocking." 

He  cut  and  fitted  it  adroitly  to  the  patient's  head,  then 
drenched  it  with  eau-de-Cologne,  and  soon  the  head  began 
to  steam. 

By  and  by  David  muttered  a  few  incoherent  words ; 
and  the  anxious  wa-tchers  thanked  God  aloud  for  them. 

At  length  Mr.  Osmond  took  leave  with  a  cheerful 
countenance,  and  left  them  all  grateful  to  him,  and  with 
a  high  opinion  of  his  judgment  and  skill,  especially 
Julia.  She  said  Dr,  Sampson  was  very  amusing  to  talk 
to,  but  she  should  be  sorry  to  trust  to  that  rash,  reck- 
less, boisterous  man  in  time  of  danger. 

About  two  in  the  morning  a  fly  drove  rapidly  up  to 
the  villa,  and  Sampson  got  out. 

He  found  David  pale  and  muttering,  and  his  wife  and 
children  hanging  over  him  in  deep  distress. 

He  shook  hands  with  them  in  silence,  and  eyed  the 
patient  keenly.  He  took  the  nightcap  off,  removed  the 
pillows,  lowered  his  head,  and  said  quietly,  "This  is 
the  cold  fit  come  on :  we  must  not  shut  our  eyes  on 
the  pashint.  Why,  what  is  this  ?  he  has  been  cupped  !  " 
And  Sampson  changed  color,  and  his  countenance  fell. 

Mrs.  Dodd  saw,  and  began  to  tremble.  "  I  could  not 
hear  from  you ;  and  Dr.  Short  and  Mr.  Osmond  felt 
quite  sure;  and  he  seems  better.  0  Dr.  Sampson,  why 
were  you  not  here  ?  We  have  bled  him  as  well.  Oh, 
don't,  don't,  don't  say  it  was  wrong  !  He  would  have 
died  :  they  said  so.  0  David !  David  !  your  wife  has 
killed  you."  And  she  knelt  and  kissed  his  hand  and 
implored  his  pardon,  insensible. 


358  HARD   CASH. 

Julia  clung  sobbing  to  her  mother,  in  a  vain  attempt 
to  comfort  her. 

Sampson  groaned. 

"No,  no,"  said  he:  "don't  go  on  so,  my  poor  soul; 
you  did  all  for  the  best ;  and  now  we  must  make  the 
best  of  what  is  done.  Hartshorn  !  brandy  !  and  caution. 
For  those  two  assassins  have  tied  my  hands." 

While  applying  these  timid  remedies,  he  inquired  if 
the  cause  was  known.  They  told  him  they  knew  noth- 
ing, but  that  David  had  been  wrecked  on  the  coast  of 
France,  and  had  fallen  down  senseless  in  the  street :  a 
clerk  of  Mr.  Hardie's  had  recognized  him,  and  brought 
him  home,  so  Alfred  said. 

"  Then  the  cause  is  mintal,"  said  Sampson,  "  unless 
he  got  a  blow  on  the  hid  in  bein'  wrecked." 

He  then  examined  David's  head  carefully,  and  found  a 
long  sear. 

"  But  this  is  not  it,"  said  he ;  "  this  is  old." 

Mrs.  Dodd  clasped  her  hands,  and  assured  him  it  was 
new  to  her :  her  David  had  no  scar  there  when  he  left 
her  last. 

Pursuing  his  examination,  Sampson  found  an  open 
wound  in  his  left  shoulder. 

He  showed  it  them,  and  they  were  all  as  pale  as  the 
patient  in  a  moment.  He  then  asked  to  see  his  coat, 
and  soon  discovered  a  corresponding  puncture  in  it, 
which  he  examined  long  and  narrowly. 

"  It  is  a  stab  —  with  a  one-edged  knife." 

There  was  a  simultaneous  cry  of  horror. 

"Don't  alarm  yourselves  for  that,"  said  Sampson,  "it 
is  nothing;  a  mere  flesh-wound.  It  is  the  vein-wound 
that  alarms  me.  This  school  knows  nothing  about  the 
paroxysms  and  remissions  of  disease.  They  have  bled 
and  cupped  him  for  a  passing  fit.  It  has  passed  into  the 
cold  stage,  but  no  quicker  than  it  would  have  done  with- 


HARD  CASH.  350 

out  stealing  a  drop  of  blood.  To-morrow,  by  disease's 
nature,  lie  will  have  another  hot  fit  in  spite  of  their  bleed- 
ing. Then  those  ijjits  would  leech  his  temples  ;  and  on 
that  paroxysm  remitting  by  the  nature  of  disease,  vv^ould 
fancy  their  leeches  had  cured  it." 

The  words  were  the  old  words,  but  the  tone  and  man- 
ner were  so  different;  no  shouting,  no  anger;  all  was 
spoken  low  and  gently,  and  with  a  sort  of  sad  and  weary 
and  worn-out  air. 

He  ordered  a  kettle  of  hot  water  and  a  quantity  of 
mustard,  and  made  his  preparations  for  the  hot  tit,  as 
he  called  it,  maintaining  the  intermittent  and  febrile 
character  of  all  disease. 

The  patient  rambled  a  good  deal,  but  quite  incoher- 
ently, and  knew  nobody. 

But  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  he  was  quite 
quiet,  and  apparently  sleeping ;  so  Mrs.  Dodd  stole  out  of 
the  room  to  order  some  coffee  for  Sampson  and  Edward. 
They  were  nodding,  worn  out  with  watching. 

Julia;  whose  high-strung  nature  could  dispense  with 
sleep  on  such  an  occasion,  was  on  her  knees  praying  for 
her  father. 

Suddenly  there  came  from  the  bed,  like  a  thunder- 
clap, two  words  uttered  loud  and  furiously  :  — 

"Hardie!     Villain!" 

Up  started  the  drowsy  watchers,  and  rubbed  their 
eyes.     They  had  heard  the  sound  but  not  the  sense. 

Julia  rose  from  her  knees  bewildered  and  aghast ;  she 
had  caught  the  strange  words  distinctly ;  words  that 
were  to  haunt  her  night  and  day. 

They  were  followed  immediatel}'  by  a  loud  groan  ;  and 
the  stertorous  breathing  recommenced,  and  the  face  was 
no  longer  pale,  but  flushed  and  turgid.  On  this  Sampson 
hurried  Julia  from  the  room,  and,  with  Edward's  help, 
placed  David  on  a  stool  in  the  bath,  and  getting  on  a 


360  HARD   CASH. 

chair,  discharged  half  a  bucket  of  cold  water  on  his  head ; 
the  patient  gasped ;  another,  and  David  shuddered,  stared 
wildly,  and  put  his  hand  to  his  head ;  a  third,  and  he 
staggered  to  his  feet. 

At  this  moment,  Mrs.  Dodd  coming  hastily  into  the 
room,  he  looked  steadily  at  her  and  said,  "  Lucy  ! " 

She  ran  to  throw  her  arms  round  him,  but  Sampson 
interfered :  '^  Gently  !  gently  !  "  said  he ;  "  we  must  have 
no  violent  emotions." 

"Oh,  no  !  I  will  be  prudent."  And  she  stood  quiet 
with  her  arras  still  extended,  and  cried  for  joy. 

They  got  David  to  bed  again,  and  Sampson  told  Mrs. 
Dodd  there  was  no  danger  now  from  the  malady,  but 
only  from  the  remedies. 

And,  in  fact,  David  fell  into  a  state  of  weakness  and 
exhaustion,  and  kept  muttering  unintelligibly. 

Dr.  Short  called  in  the  morning,  and  was  invited  to 
consult  with  Dr.  Sampson.  He  declined.  "  Dr.  Sampson 
is  a  notorious  quack ;  no  physician  of  any  eminence  will 
meet  him  in  consultation." 

"  I  regret  that  resolution,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd,  quietly, 
"as  it  Avill  deprive  me  of  the  advantage  of  your  skill." 

Dr.  Short  bowed  stiffly  :  "  I  shall  be  at  your  service, 
madam,  when  that  empiric  has  given  the  patient  up." 
And  he  drove  away. 

Osmond,  finding  Sampson  installed,  took  the  politic 
line ;  he  contrived  to  glide  by  fine  gradations  into  the 
empiric's  opinions,  without  recanting  his  owp,  which 
were  diametrically  opposed. 

Sampson,  before  he  shot  back  to  town,  asked  him  to 
provide  a  good,  reliable  nurse. 

He  sent  a  young  woman  of  iron  ;  she  received  Samp- 
son's instructions,  and  assumed  the  command  of  the  sick- 
room, and  was  jealous  of  IMrs.  Dodd  and  Julia;  looked 
on  them  as  mere  rival  nurses,  amateurs,  who,  if  not 


HARD   CASH.  361 

snubbed,  might  ruin  the  professionals ;  she  seemed  to 
have  forgotten  in  the  hospitals  all  about  the  family 
affections,  and  their  power  of  turning  invalids  them- 
selves into  nurses. 

The  second  night  she  got  the  patient  all  to  herself  for 
four  hours;  from  eleven  till  two. 

The  ladies  having  consented  to  this  arrangement,  in 
order  to  recruit  themselves  for  the  work  they  were  not 
so  mad  as  to  intrust  wholly  to  a  hireling,  nurse's  feathers 
smoothed  themselves  perceptibly. 

At  twelve  the  patient  was  muttering  and  murmuring 
incessantly  about  wrecks  and  money  and  things ;  of 
which  vain  babble,  nurse  showed  her  professional  con- 
tempt by  nodding. 

At  12.30  she  slept. 

At  1.20  she  snored  very  loud,  and  woke  instantly  at 
the  sound. 

She  took  the  thief  out  of  the  candle,  and  went  like  a 
good  sentinel  to  look  at  her  charge. 

He  was  not  there. 

She  rubbed  her  eyes,  and  held  the  candle  over  the 
place  where  he  ought  to  be,  where,  in  fact,  he  must  be; 
for  he  was  far  too  weak  to  move. 

She  tore  the  bedclothes  down ;  she  beat  and  patted 
the  clothes  with  her  left  hand,  and  the  candle  began  to 
shake  violently  in  her  right. 

The  bed  was  empty. 

Mrs.  Dodd  was  half  asleep,  when  a  hurried  tap  came 
to  her  door  ;  she  started  up  in  a  moment,  and  great  dread 
fell  on  her  ;  was  David  sinking  ? 

"  Ma'am  !     Ma'am  !     Is  he  here  ?  " 

"He  !     Who  ?  "  cried  Mrs.  Dodd,  bewildered. 

"  Why,  him  !  he  can't  be  far  off." 

In  a  moment  Mrs.  Dodd  had  opened  the  door ;  and  her 
tongue  and  the  nurse's  seemed  to  clash  together,  so  fast 


362  HARD   CASH. 

came  the  agitated  words  from  each  in  turn ;  and  crying, 
"  Call  my  son  !  Alarm  the  house  ! "  Mrs.  Dodd  darted 
into  the  sickroom.  She  was  out  again  in  a  moment,  and 
up  in  the  attics  rousing  the  maids,  while  the  nurse  thun- 
dered at  Edward's  door,  and  Julia's,  and  rang  every  bell 
she  could  get  at.  The  inmates  were  soon  alarmed,  and 
flinging  on  their  clothes ;  meantime  Mrs.  Dodd  and  the 
nurse  scoured  the  house  and  searched  every  nook  in  it 
down  to  the  very  cellar ;  they  found  no  David. 

But  they  found  something. 

The  street  door  ajar. 

It  Avas  a  dark,  drizzly  night. 

Edward  took  one  road,  IVIrs.  Dodd  and  Elizabeth 
another. 

They  were  no  sooner  gone,  than  Julia  drew  the  nurse 
into  a  room  apart,  and  asked  her  eagerly  if  her  father 
had  said  nothing. 

"  Said  nothing,  miss  ?  Why,  he  was  a-talking  all  the 
night  incessant." 

"  Did  he  say  anything  particular  ?  think  now." 

"No,  miss;  he  went  on  as  they  all  do  just  before  a 
change.     I  never  minds  'em  ;  I  hear  so  much  of  it." 

"  0  nurse,  nurse !  have  pity  on  me  ;  try  and  recol- 
lect." 

"  Well,  miss,  to  oblige  you,  then ;  it  was  mostly  fights 
this  time  —  and  wrecks — and  villains — and  bankers  — 
and  sharks." 

"  Bankers  ?  "  asked  Julia  eagerly. 

"  Yes,  miss ;  and  villains,  they  come  once  or  twice,  but 
most  of  the  time  it  was  sharks  and  ships  and  money,  and 
■ —  hotch-potch  I  call  it,  the  way  they  talk ;  bless  your 
heart,  they  know  no  better ;  everything  they  ever  saw 
or  read  or  heard  tell  of,  it  all  comes  out  higgledy-piggledy 
just  before  they  goes  off;  we  that  makes  it  a  business 
never  takes  no  notice  of  what  they  says,  miss  ;  and  never 


HARD   CASH. 


863 


repeats  it  out  of  one  sick-house  into  another ;  that  you 
maij  rely  on." 

Julia  scarcely  heard  this  ;  her  hands  were  tight  to  her 
brow  as  if  to  aid  her  to  think  with  all  her  force. 

The  result  was,  she  told  Sarah  to  put  on  her  bonnet, 
and  rushed  up-stairs. 

She  was  not  gone  three  minutes ;  but  in  that  short 
interval  the  nurse's  tongue  and  Sarah's  clashed  together 
swiftly  and  incessantly. 

Julia  heard  them.  She  came  down  with  a  long  cloak 
on,  whipped  the  hood  over  her  head,  beckoned  Sarah 
quickly,  and  darted  out.  Sarah  followed  instinctively, 
but,  ere  they  had  gone  many  yards  from  the  house,  said, 
"0  miss,  nurse  thinks  you  had  much  better  not  go." 

"Nurse  thinks  !  Nurse  thinks  !  What  does  she  know 
of  me  and  my  griefs  ?  " 

"Why,  miss,  she  is  a  very  experienced  woman,  and 
she  says —  Oh,  dear!  oh,  dear!  And  such  a  dark,  cold 
night  for  you  to  be  out !  " 

"  Nurse  ?     Nurse  ?     What  did  she  say  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I  haven't  the  heart  to  tell  you ;  if  you  would  but 
come  back  home  with  me  !  She  says  as  much  as  that 
poor  master's  troubles  will  be  over  long  before  we  can 
get  to  him."     And  with  this  Sarah  burst  out  sobbing. 

"  Come  quicker,"  cried  Julia,  despairingly.  But  after 
awhile  she  said,  "Tell  me;  only  don't  stop  me." 

"Miss,  she  says  she  nursed  Mr.  Campbell,  the  young 
curate  that  died  last  harvest-time  but  one,  you  know ; 
and  he  lay  just  like  master,  and  she  expecting  a  change 
every  hour;  and  0  miss,  she  met  him  coming  down- 
stairs in  his  night-gownd,  and  he  said,  'Nurse,  I  am  all 
right  now,'  says  he,  and  died  momently  in  her  arms  at 
the  stair-foot.  And  she  nursed  an  old  farmer  that  lay  as 
weak  as  master,  and,  just  when  they  looked  for  him  to 
go,  lo  and  behold  him  dressed  and  out  digging  potatoes, 


3g4  HARD   CASH. 

and  fell  down  dead  before  they  could  get  hands  on  him 
mostly  ;  and  nurse  have  a  friend,  that  have  seen  more 
than  she  have,  which  she  is  older  than  nurse,  and  says  a 
body's  life  is  all  one  as  a  rushlight,  flares  up  strong 
momently  justly  before  it  goes  out  altogether.  Dear 
heart,  whei*ever  are  we  going  to  in  the  middle  of  the 
night  ?  " 

"  Don't  you  see  ?  to  the  quay." 

"  Oh,  don't  go  there,  miss,  whatever  !  I  can't  abide 
the  sight  of  the  water,  when  a  body's  in  trouble."  Here 
a  drunken  man  confronted  them,  and  asked  them  if  they 
wanted  a  beau ;  and,  on  their  slipping  past  him  in  silence, 
followed  them,  and  offered  repeatedly  to  treat  them. 
Julia  moaned,  and  hurried  faster.  "  0  miss,"  said 
Sarah,  "  what  could  you  expect,  coming  out  at  this  time 
of  night  ?  I'm  sure  the  breath  is  all  out  of  me  ;  you  do 
tear  along  so." 

"  Tear  ?  we  are  crawling.  Ah,  Sarah,  you  are  not  his 
daughter.  There,  follow  me !  I  cannot  go  so  slow." 
And  she  set  off  to  run. 

Presently  she  passed  a  group  of  women  standing  talk- 
ing at  a  corner  of  the  street;  and  windows  were  open 
with  nightcapped  heads  framed  in  them. 

She  stopped  a  moment  to  catch  the  words  ;  they  were 
talking  about  a  ghost  which  was  said  to  have  just  passed 
down  the  street,  and  discussing  whether  it  was  a  real 
ghost,  or  a  trick  to  frighten  people. 

Julia  uttered  a  low  cry,  and  redoubled  her  speed,  and 
was  soon  at  Mr.  Richard  Hardie's  door;  but  the  street 
was  deserted,  and  she  was  bewildered,  and  began  to  think 
she  had  been  too  hasty  in  her  conjecture.  A  chill  came 
over  her  impetuosity.  The  dark,  drizzly,  silent  night, 
the  tall  masts,  the  smell  of  the  river,  how  strange  it  all 
seemed ;  and  she  to  be  there  alone  at  such  an  hour. 

Presently   she   heard  voices  somewhere  near.     She 


HARD   CASH.  865 

crossed  over  to  a  passage  that  seemed  to  lead  towards 
them  ;  and  then  she  heard  the  voices  plainly,  and  among 
them  one  that  did  not  mingle  with  the  others,  for  it  was 
the  voice  she  loved.  She  started  back  and  stood  irreso- 
lute.    Would  he  be  displeased  with  her  ? 

Feet  came  trampling  slowly  along  the  passage. 

His  voice  came  with  them. 

She  drew  back  and  looked  round  for  Sarah. 

While  she  stood  fluttering,  the  footsteps  came  close, 
and  there  emerged  from  the  passage  into  the  full  light 
of  the  gas-lamp  Alfred  and  two  policemen,  carrying  a 
silent,  senseless  figure,  in  a  nightgown,  with  a  great-coat 
thrown  over  part  of  him. 

It  was  her  father;  mute  and  ghastly. 

The  policemen  still  tell  of  that  strange  meeting  under 
the  gas-light  by  Hardie's  Bank ;  and  how  the  young  lady 
flung  her  arms  round  her  father's  head,  and  took  him  for 
dead,  and  kissed  his  pale  cheeks,  and  moaned  over  him ; 
and  how  the  young  gentleman  raised  her  against  her 
will,  and  sobbed  over  her ;  and  how  they,  though  police- 
men, cried  like  children.  And  to  them  I  must  refer  the 
reader :  I  have  not  the  skill  to  convey  the  situation. 

They  got  more  policemen  to  help,  and  carried  him  to 
Albion  Villa. 

On  the  way  something  cold  and  mj^sterious  seemed  to 
have  come  between  Julia  and  Alfred.  They  walked 
apart  in  gloomy  silence  broken  only  by  foreboding  sighs. 

I  pass  over  the  tempest  of  emotions  under  which  that 
sad  burden  entered  Albion  Villa;  and  hurry  to  the  next 
marked  event. 

Next  day  the  patient  had  lost  his  extreme  pallor,  and 
wore  a  certain  uniform  sallow  hue ;  and  at  noon,  just 
before  Sampson's  return,  he  opened  his  eyes  wide,  and 
fixed  them  on  Mrs.  Dodd  and  Julia,  who  were  now  his 
nurses.     They  hailed  this  with  delight,  and  held  their 


366  HARD  CASH. 

breath  to  hear  him  speak  to  them  the  first  sweet  words 
of  reviving  life  and  love. 

But  soon  to  their  surprise  and  grief  they  found  he  did 
not  know  them.  They  spoke  to  him,  each  in  turn,  and 
told  him  piteously  who  they  were,  and  implored  him 
with  tears  to  know  them,  and  to  speak  to  them.  But 
no,  he  fixed  a  stony  gaze  on  them  that  made  them  shud- 
der; and  their  beloved  voices  passed  over  him  like  an 
idle  wind. 

Sampson,  when  he  came,  found  the  ladies  weeping  by 
the  bedside. 

They  greeted  him  with  affection,  Julia  especially:  the 
boisterous  controversialist  had  come  out  a  gentle,  zealous 
artist,  in  presence  of  a  real  danger. 

Dr.  Sampson  knew  nothing  of  what  had  happened  in 
his  absence.  He  stepped  to  the  bedside  cheerfully;  and 
the  ladies'  eyes  Avere  bent  keenly  on  his  face  in  silence. 

He  had  no  sooner  cast  eyes  on  David  than  his  counte- 
nance fell,  and  his  hard  but  expressive  features  filled 
with  concern. 

That  was  enough  for  Mrs.  Dodd  ;  "  And  he  does  not 
know  me,"  she  cried  :  "  he  does  not  know  my  voice. 
His  voice  would  call  me  back  from  the  grave  itself.  He 
is  dying.  He  will  never  speak  to  me  again.  Oh,  my 
poor  orphan  girl !  " 

"No!  no!"  said  Sampson,  "you  are  quite  mistaken  : 
he  will  not  die.     But"  — 

His  tongue  said  no  more.  His  grave  and  sombre  face 
spoke  volumes. 


HARD  CASH.  367 


CHAPTEE  XXI. 

To  return  to  the  bank :  Skinner  came  back  from  the 
Dodds'  that  miserable  afternoon,  in  a  state  of  genuine 
agitation  and  regret.  He  was  human  and  therefore 
mixed ;  and  their  desolation  had  shocked  him. 

The  footman  told  him  Mr.  Hardie  was  not  at  home  ; 
gone  to  London,  he  believed.  Skinner  walked  away  de- 
jected.    What  did  this  mean  ?     Had  he  left  the  country  ? 

He  smiled  at  his  fears,  and  felt  positive  ^Iv.  Hardie 
had  misled  the  servants,  and  was  quietly  waiting  for  him 
in  the  bank  parlor. 

It  was  now  dusk :  he  went  round  to  that  little  dark 
nook  of  the  garden  the  parlor-window  opened  on,  and 
tapped:  there  was  no  reply;  the  room  looked  empty. 
He  tried  the  s?sh  :  it  yielded:  ^Mr.  Hardie  had  been  too 
occupied  with  embezzling  another's  property  to  take 
common  precautions  in  defence  of  his  own ;  never  in  his 
life  before  had  he  neglected  to  fasten  the  iron  shutters 
with  his  own  hand,  and  to-day  he  had  left  the  very 
window  unfastened.  This  augured  ill.  "He  is  off:  he 
has  done  me  along  with  the  rest,"  thought  Skinner. 
He  stepped  into  the  room,  found  a  lucifer-box,  shut  the 
shutters,  lighted  a  candle,  and  went  peering  about 
amongst  the  banker's  papers,  to  see  if  he  could  find  a 
clew  to  his  intentions:  and,  as  he  pottered  and  peered, 
he  quaked  as  well :  a  detector  by  dishonest  means  feels 
thief-like;  and  is  what  he  feels.  He  made  some  little 
discoveries,  that  guided  him  in  his  own  conduct ;  lie  felt 
more  and  more  sure  his  employer  would  outwit  him  if 
he  could;  and  resolved  it  should  be  diamond  cut  diamond. 


368  HARD   CASH. 

The  church  clock  struck  one. 

He  started  at  the  hour,  crept  out,  and  closed  the 
window  softly ;  then  away  by  the  garden-gate. 

A  light  was  still  burning  in  Alfred's  room  :  and  at  this 
Skinner  had  another  touch  of  compunction;  "There  is 
one  won't  sleep  this  night  along  of  our  work,"  thought  he. 

At  three  next  afternoon  Mr.  Hardie  reappeared. 

He  had  gone  up  to  town  to  change  the  form  of  the 
deposit :  he  took  care  to  think  of  it  as  a  deposit  still, 
the  act  of  deposit  having  been  complete,  the  withdrawal 
incomplete,  and  by  no  fault  of  his,  for  he  had  offered  it 
back;  but  fate  and  accident  had  interposed  —  he  had 
converted  the  notes  into  gold  direct,  and  the  bills  into 
gold  through  notes  ;  this  was  like  going  into  the  river 
to  hide  his  trail.  Next  process  :  he  turned  his  gold  into 
five-hundred-pound  notes,  and  came  flying  home  Avitli 
them. 

His  return  was  greeted  by  Skinner  with  a  sigh  of 
relief.  Hardie  heard  it,  interpreted  it  aright,  and  sent 
for  him  into  the  parlor :  and  there  told  him  with  a  great 
affectation  of  frankness  what  he  had  done :  then  asked 
significantly  if  there  was  any  news  at  Albion  Villa. 

Skinner  in  reply  told  Mr.  Hardie  of  the  distress  he 
had  witnessed  up  at  Albion  Villa;  "And,  sir,"  said  he, 
lowering  his  voice,  "Mr.  Alfred  helped  carry  the  body 
up-stairs.  It  is  a  nice  mess  altogether,  sir,  when  you 
come  to  think." 

"  Ah !  all  the  better,"  was  the  cool  reply  :  "  he  will  be 
useful  to  let  us  know  what  we  want ;  he  will  tell  Jane, 
and  Jane  me.     You  don't  think  he  will  live,  do  you  ?  " 

"  Live !  no :  and  then  who  will  know  the  money  is 
here  ?  " 

"Who  should  know?  Did  not  he  say  he  had  just 
landed,  and  been  shipwrecked  ?  Shipwrecked  men  do  not 
bring  fourteen  thousand  pounds  ashore."     The  speaker's 


HARD    CASH.  3G0 

eyes  sparkled;  Skinner  watched  him  demurely.  ''Skin- 
ner," said  he,  solemnly,  "  I  believe  my  daughter  Jane  is 
right;  and  that  Providence  really  interferes  sometimes 
in  the  affairs  of  this  world ;  you  know  how  I  have  strug- 
gled, to  save  my  family  from  disgrace  and  poverty  ; 
those  struggles  have  failed  in  a  great  degree ;  but  Heaven 
has  seen  them,  and  saved  this  money  from  the  sea,  and 
dropped  it  into  my  very  hands  to  retrieve  my  fortunes 
with.  I  must  be  grateful ;  spend  a  portion  of  it  on 
charity,  and  rear  a  noble  fortune  on  the  rest.  Confound 
it  all ! " 

And  his  crestfallen  countenance  showed  some  ugly 
misgiving  had  flashed  on  him  quite  suddenly. 

"  What,  sir  ?  what  ?  "  asked  Skinner,  eagerly. 

"The  receipt!" 


370  HARD  CASH. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

"  The  receipt  ?  Oh,  is  that  all  ?  you  have  got  that," 
said  Skinner  very  coolly. 

"What  makes  you  think  so?"  inquired  the  other, 
keenly.     He  instantly  suspected  Skinner  of  having  it. 

"  Why,  sir,  I  saw  it  in  his  hand." 

"Then  it  has  got  to  Albion  Villa,  and  we  are  ruined." 

"  No,  no,  sir ;  you  won't  hear  me.  I  am  sure  I  saw  it 
fall  out  of  his  hand  when  he  was  taken  ill ;  and  I  think, 
but  I  won't  be  sure,  he  fell  on  it.  Any  way,  there  was 
nothing  in  his  hands  when  I  delivered  him  at  Albion 
Villa,  so  it  must  be  here.  I  dare  say  you  have  thrown 
it  into  a  drawer  or  somewhere,  promiscuously." 

"No,  no.  Skinner,"  said  Mr.  Hardie,  with  increasing 
alarm  ;  "it  is  useless  for  us  to  deceive  ourselves.  I  was 
not  three  minutes  in  the  room,  and  thought  of  nothing 
but  getting  to  town  and  cashing  the  bills." 

He  rang  the  bell  sharply,  and  on  Betty  coming  in, 
asked  her  what  she  had  done  with  that  paper  that  was 
on  the  floor  ? 

"  Took  it  up  and  put  it  on  the  table,  sir.  This  was  it, 
I  think."     And  she  laid  her  finger  upon  a  paper. 

"No,  no,"  said  Mr.  Hardie.  "The  one  I  mean  was 
much  smaller  than  that." 

"  What,"  said  she,  with  that  astonishing  memory  for 
trifles  peo])le  have  who  never  read,  "was  it  a  little  crum- 
pled-up  paper,  lying  by  the  basket  ? 

"  Yes,  yes ;  that  sounds  like  it." 

"  Oh  !  I  put  that  hito  the  basket." 

Mr.  Hardie's  eye  fell  directly  on  the  basket,  but  it 


HARD   CASH.  371 

was  empty.  She  caught  his  glance,  and  told  him  she 
had  emptied  it  iu  the  dust-hole  as  usual.  Mr.  Hardie 
uttered  an  angry  exclamation.  Betty,  an  old  servant  of 
his  wife's,  resented  it  with  due  dignity  by  tossing  her 
head  as  she  retired. 

"  There  is  no  help  for  it,"  said  Mr.  Hardie,  bitterly ; 
"we  must  go  and  grub  in  the  dust-hole  now." 

"  Why,  sir,  your  name  is  not  on  it,  after  all." 

"  What  does  that  matter  ?  A  man  is  bound  by  the  act 
of  his  agent ;  besides,  it  is  my  form,  and  my  initials  on 
the  back.  Come,  let  us  put  a  good  face  on  the  thing." 
And  he  led  the  way  to  the  kitchen,  and  got  up  a  little 
laugh,  and  asked  the  scullery  maid  if  she  could  show 
Mr.  Skinner  and  him  the  dust-hole.  She  str.red,  but 
obeyed,  and  the  pair  followed  her,  making  merry. 

The  dust-hole  was  empty. 

The  girl  explained  :  "  It  is  the  dustman's  day.  He 
came  at  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  carr'd  all  the 
dust  away,  and  grumbled  at  the  paper  and  the  bones,  he 
did.  So  I  told  him  beggars  mustn't  be  choosers.  Just 
like  his  impudence !  when  he  gets  it  for  nothing,  and 
sells  it  for  a  mint  outside  the  town."  The  unwonted 
visitors  left  her  in  dead  silence  almost  before  she  had 
finished  her  sentence. 

Mr.  Hardie  sat  down  in  his  parlor,  thoroughly  discom- 
posed ;  Skinner  watched  him  furtively. 

At  last  the  former  broke  out:  "This  is  the  Devil's 
doing;  the  Devil  in  person.  No  intelligence  nor  ability 
can  resist  such  luck.  I  almost  wish  we  had  never  med- 
dled with  it.     We  shall  never  feel  safe,  never  be  safe." 

Skinner  made  light  of  the  matter,  treated  the  receipt 
as  thrown  into  the  sea.  "Why,  sir,"  said  he,  "by  this 
time  it  will  have  found  its  way  to  that  monstrous  heap 
of  ashes  on  the  London  road,  and  who  will  ever  look  for 
it  there  ?  or  notice  it  if  they  find  it  ?  "     Hardie  shook 


372  HARD  CASH. 

his  head.  "  That  monstrous  heap  is  all  sold  every  year 
to  the  farmers.  That  receipt,  worth  fourteen  thousand 
pounds  to  me,  will  be  strewed  on  the  soil  for  manure ; 
then  some  farmer's  man  or  farmer's  boy  that  goes  to  the 
Sunday  school  will  read  it,  see  Captain  Dodd's  name,  and 
bring  it  to  Albion  Villa  in  hopes  of  a  sixpence,  —  a  six- 
pence. Heaven  help  the  man  who  does  a  doubtful  act, 
and  leaves  damnatory  evidence  on  paper  kicking  about 
the  world." 

From  that  hour  the  cash  Hardie  carried  in  his  bosom, 
without  a  right  to  it,  began  to  blister. 

He  thought  of  telling  the  dustman  he  had  lost  a  paper, 
and  setting  him  to  examine  the  mountain  of  ashes  on  the 
London  road ;  but  here  caution  stepped  in.  How  could 
he  describe  the  paper  without  awakening  curiosity  and 
defeating  his  own  end  ?  He  gave  that  up.  It  was  better 
to  let  the  sleeping  dog  lie. 

Finally  he  resolved  to  buy  security  in  a  world  where, 
after  all,  one  has  to  buy  everything.  So  he  employed 
an  adroit  agent,  and  quietly  purchased  that  mountain, 
the  refuse  of  all  Barkington.  But  he  felt  so  ill  used,  he 
paid  for  it  in  his  own  notes ;  by  this  means  the  treaty 
reverted  to  the  primitive  form  of  barter,^  ashes  for  rags. 

This  transaction  he  concealed  from  his  confederate. 

When  he  had  completed  it,  he  was  not  yet  secure ;  for 
another  day  had  passed,  and  Captain  Dodd  alive  still. 
Men  often  recover  from  apoplexy,  especially  when  they 
survive  the  first  twenty-four  hours.  Should  he  live,  he 
would  not  now  come  into  any  friendly  arrangement  with 
the  man  who  had  so  nearly  caused  his  death.  So,  then, 
good-by  to  the  matrimonial  combination  Hardie  had  at 
first  relied  on  to  patch  his  debt  to  Alfred  and  his  broken 
fortunes.     Then,  as  to  keeping  the  money  and  defying 

•  Or  exchange  of  commodities  without  the  aid  of  money.  See  Homer,  and 
Welsh  villages,  passim. 


HARD   CASH.  873 

Dodd,  that  would  be  very  difficult  and  dangerous ;  mer- 
cantile bills  are  traceable  things,  and  criminal  prosecu- 
tions awkward  ones.  He  found  himself  in  a  situation 
he  could  not  see  his  way  through  by  any  mental  effort ; 
there  were  so  many  objections  to  every  course,  and  so 
many  to  its  opposite.  "  He  walked  among  fires,"  as  the 
Latins  say.  But  the  more  he  pondered  on  the  course  to 
be  taken  should  Dodd  live,  the  plainer  did  this  dilemma 
stare  him  in  the  face ;  either  he  must  refund,  or  fly  the 
country  with  another  man's  money,  and  leave  behind  him 
the  name  of  a  thief.  Parental  love,  and  the  remains  of 
self-respect,  writhed  at  this  thought ;  and  with  these 
combined  a  sentiment  less  genuine,  but  by  no  means 
feeble,  the  love  of  reputation.  So  it  was  with  a  reluc- 
tant and  sick  heart  he  went  to  the  shipping-office,  and 
peered  at  the  posters  to  see  when  the  next  ship  sail'^d 
for  the  United  States.     Still  he  did  go. 

Intent  on  his  own  schemes,  and  expecting  every  day 
to  be  struck  in  front,  he  did  not  observe  that  a  man  in 
a  rusty  velveteen  coat  followed  him,  and  observed  this 
act,  and,  indeed,  all  his  visible  acts. 

Another  perplexity  was  when  he  should  break.  There 
were  objections  to  doing  it  immediately,  and  objections 
to  putting  it  off. 

With  all  this  the  man  was  in  a  ferment :  by  day  he 
sat  waiting  and  fearing,  by  night  he  lay  sleepless  and 
thinking ;  and,  though  his  stoical  countenance  retained 
its  composure,  the  furrows  deepened  in  it,  and  the  iron 
nerves  began  to  twitch  at  times  from  strain  of  mind  and 
want  of  sleep,  and  that  rack,  suspense.  Not  a  night  that 
he  did  not  awaken  a  dozen  times  from  his  brief  dozes 
with  a  start,  and  a  dread  of  exposure  by  some  mysterious, 
unforeseen  means. 

It  is  remarkable  how  truths  sometimes  flash  on  men 
at  night  in  hours  of  nervous  excitement  j  it  was  in  one 


374  HARD  CASH. 

of  these  nightly  reveries  David  Dodd's  pocket-book  flashed 
back  upon  Mv.  Hardie.  He  saw  it  before  his  eyes  quite 
plain,  and  on  the  inside  of  the  leather  cover  a  slip  of 
paper  pasted,  and  written  on  in  pencil  or  pale  ink,  he 
could  not  recall  which. 

What  was  that  writing  ?  It  might  be  the  numbers  of 
the  notes,  the  description  of  the  bills.  Why  had  he  not 
taken  it  out  of  the  dying  man's  pocket?  "Fool!  fool!" 
he  groaned ;  "  to  do  anything  by  halves." 

Another  night  he  got  a  far  severer  shock.  Lying  in 
his  bed  dozing  and  muttering  as  usual,  he  was  suddenly 
startled  out  of  that  uneasy  slumber  by  three  tremendous 
knocks  at  the  street-door. 

He  sprang  out  of  bed,  and  in  his  confusion  made  sure 
the  officers  of  justice  were  come  for  him.  He  began  to 
huddle  on  his  clothes  with  a  vague  notion  of  flight. 

He  had  got  on  his  trousers  and  slippers,  and  was  look- 
ing under  his  pillow  for  the  fatal  cash,  when  he  heard 
himself  called  loudly  and  repeatedly  by  name;  but  this 
time  the  sound  came  from  the  garden  into  which  his  bed- 
room looked.  He  opened  it  very  softly,  in  trepidation 
and  wonder,  which  were  speedily  doubled  by  Avhat  met 
his  eyes ;  for  there,  right  in  front  of  his  window,  stood 
an  unearthly  figure,  corresponding  in  every  particular  to 
that  notion  of  a  ghost  in  which  we  are  reared,  and  which, 
when  our  nerves  are  healthy,  we  can  ridicule  as  it 
deserves ;  but  somehow  it  is  never  cleaned  out  of  our 
imagination  so  thoroughly  as  it  is  out  of  onr  judgment. 

The  figure  was  white  as  a  sheet,  and  seemed  super- 
naturally  tall,  and  it  cried  out  in  a  voice  like  a  wounded 
lion's,  "You  villain!  you  Plardie !  give  me  back  my 
money,  my  fourteen  thousand  pounds.  Give  me  my 
children's  money,  or  may  your  children  die  before  your 
eyes ;  give  me  my  darlings'  money,  or  may  the  eternal 
curse  of  God  light  on  you  and  yours,  you  scoundrel ! " 


HARD   CASH.  3(0 

And  the  figure  kneeled  on  the  grass,  and  repeated  the 
terrible  imprecation  almost  in  the  same  words,  that 
Hardie  shrank  b'ack,  and,  resolute  as  he  was,  cowered 
with  superstitious  awe. 

But  this  sentiment  soon  gave  way  to  vulgar  fears ;  the 
man  would  alarm  the  town.  And,  in  fact,  Mr.  Hardie, 
in  the  midst  of  his  agitation,  was  dimly  conscious  of 
hearing  a  window  open  softl}^  not  very  far  from  him. 
But  it  was  a  dark  night.  He  put  his  head  out  in  great 
agitation,  and  whispered,  ''  Hush  I  hush  I  and  I'll  bring 
it  you  down  directly." 

Internally  cursing  his  hard  fate,  he  got  the  fatal  cash, 
put  on  his  coat,  hunted  for  the  key  of  the  bank  parlor, 
and,  having  found  it,  went  softly  down  the  stairs, 
unlocked  the  door,  and  went  to  open  the  shutters. 

At  this  moment  his  ear  caught  a  murmur,  a  low  buzz- 
ing of  voices  in  the  garden. 

He  naturally  thought  that  Captain  Dodd  was  exposing 
him  to  some  of  the  townspeople ;  he  was  puzzled  what 
to  do,  and,  like  a  cautious  man  as  he  was,  remained 
passive,  but  on  the  watch. 

Presently  the  voices  were  quiet,  and  he  heard  footsteps 
come  very  slowly  towards  the  window  at  which  he  stood, 
and  then  make  for  the  little  gate.  On  this  he  slipped 
into  the  kitchen,  which  faced  the  street,  and  got  to  a 
window  there,  and  listened.  His  only  idea  was  to  catch 
their  intentions,  if  possible,  and  meet  them  accordingl3% 
He  dared  not  open  the  window,  for  above  him  on  the 
pavement  he  saw  a  female  figure  half  standing,  half 
crouching ;  but  soon  that  figure  rushed  wildly  out  of  his 
sight  to  meet  the  footsteps,  and  then  he  ventured  to  open 
the  window,  and,  listening,  heard  cries  of  despair,  and  a 
young  heart-broken  voice  say  her  father  was  dead. 

"  Ah  !  that  is  all  right,"  muttered  Hardie. 

Still  even  this  profound  egotist  was  not  yet  so  hard- 


376  HARD   CASH. 

ened,  but  that  he  felt  one  chill  of  horror  at  himself  for 
the  thought,  a  passing  chill. 

He  listened  and  listened,  and  by  and"by  he  heard  the 
slow  feet  recommence  their  journey,  amidst  sobs  and 
sighs ;  and  those  sorrowful  feet,  and  the  sobs  and  sighs 
of  his  causing,  got  fainter  and  fainter,  retreated,  and  left 
him  in  quiet  possession  of  the  fourteen  thousand  pounds 
he  had  brought  down  to  give  it  up ;  two  minutes  ago  it 
was  not  worth  as  many  pence  to  him. 

He  drew  a  long  breath  of  relief.  "  It  is  mine  ;  I  am 
to  keep  it.     It  is  the  will  of  Heaven." 

Poor  Heaven ! 

He  went  to  his  bed  again,  and  by  a  resolute  effort 
composed  himself,  and  determined  to  sleep.  And,  in 
fact,  he  was  just  dropping  off,  when  suddenly  he  started 
wide  awake  again ;  for  it  recurred  to  him  vividly  that  a 
window  in  his  house  had  opened,  while  David  was  curs- 
ing him,  and  demanding  his  children's  money. 

Whose  window  ? 

Half  a  dozen  people  and  more  slept  on  that  side  of 
the  house. 

Whose  window  could  it  be  ? 

He  walked  among  fires. 


HARD   CASH.  377 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Not  many  days  after  this  a.  crowd  of  persons  stood 
in  front  of  the  old  bank,  looking,  half  stupefied,  at 
the  shutters,  and  at  a  piece  of  paper  pasted  on  them 
announcing  a  suspension,  only  for  a  month  or  so,  and 
laying  the  blame  on  certain  correspondents  not  speci- 
fied. 

So  great  was  the  confidence  inspired  by  the  old  bank, 
that  many  said  it  would  come  round,  it  must  come  round, 
in  a  month ;  but  other  of  ^Nlr.  Hardie's  unfortunate  clients 
recognized  in  the  abov^e  a  mere  formula  to  let  them  down 
by  degrees ;  they  had  seen  many  statements  as  hopeful 
end  in  a  dividend  of  sixpence  in  the  pound. 

Before  the  day  closed,  the  scene  at  the  bank-door  was 
heart-rending;  respectable  persons,  reduced  to  pauperism 
in  that  one  day,  kept  arriving  and  telling  their  fellow- 
sufferers  their  little  all  was  with  Hardie,  and  nothing 
before  them  but  the  workhouse  or  the  almshouse;  ruined 
mothers  came  and  held  up  their  ruined  children  for  the 
banker  to  see  ;  and  the  doors  were  hammered  at,  and  the 
house  as  well  as  the  bank  was  beleaguered  by  a  weeping, 
wailing,  despairing  crowd. 

But,  like  an  idle  wave  beating  on  a  rock,  all  this 
human  misery  dashed  itself  in  vain  against  the  bank- 
er's brick  walls  and  shutters,  hard  to  them  as  his  very 
heart. 

The  next  day  they  mobbed  Alfred  and  hissed  him  at 
the  back  door.  Jane  was  too  ashamed  and  too  fright- 
ened to  stir  out.  Mr.  Hardie  sat  calmly  putting  the 
finishing  strokes  to  his  fabricated  balance-sheet. 


378  HARD   CASH. 

Some  innocent  and  excited  victims  went  to  the  mayor 
for  redress  ;  to  the  aklermen,  the  magistrates,  —  in  vain. 

Towards  afternoon  the  banker's  cool  contempt  for  his 
benefactors,  whose  lives  he  had  darkened,  received  a 
temi)orary  check :  a  heavy  stone  was  flung  at  the  bank 
shutters.  This  ferocious  blow  made  him  start,  and  the 
place  rattle ;  it  was  the  signal  for  a  shower :  and  pres- 
ently tink,  tink,  went  the  windows  of  the  house,  and  in 
came  the  stones,  starring  the  mirrors,  upsetting  the 
chairs,  denting  the  papered  walls,  chipping  the  mantel- 
pieces, shivering  the  bell-glasses  and  statuettes,  and 
strewing  the  room  with  dirty  pebbles,  and  painted  frag- 
ments, and  glittering  ruin. 

Hardie  winced  :  this  was  the  sort  of  appeal  to  touch 
him.  But  soon  he  recovered  his  sang-froid.  "Thank 
you,"  said  he,  "I'm  much  obliged  to  you;  now  I'm  in 
the  right  and  you  are  in  the  wrong."  And  he  put  liim- 
self  under  protection  of  the  police,  and  fee'd  them  so 
royally  that  they  were  zealous  on  his  behalf,  and  rough 
and  dictatorial  even  Avith  those  who  thronged  the  place 
only  to  moan  and  lament  and  hold  up  their  ruined  chil- 
dren. "You  must  move  on,  you  misery,"  said  the 
police.  And  the}^  were  right ;  misery  gains  nothing  by 
stopping  the  way,  —  nothing  by  bemoaning  itself. 

But  if  the  banker,  naturally  egotistical,  and  now 
entirely  Avrapped  in  his  own  plans  and  fears  and  well- 
earned  torments,  was  deaf  to  the  anguish  of  his  clients, 
there  were  others  in  his  house  who  felt  it  keenly  and 
deeply.  Alfred  and  Jane  were  heart-broken ;  they  sat 
hand  in  hand  in  a  little  room,  drawn  closer  by  misfort- 
une, and  heard  the  groans  at  their  door ;  and  the  tears 
of  pity  ran  down  their  own  cheeks  hot  with  shame,  and 
Alfred  wrote  on  the  fly-leaf  of  his  "Ethics"  a  vow  to 
pay  every  shilling  his  father  owed  these  poor  people  — 
before  he  died.     It  was  like  him,  and  like  his  happy  age, 


HARD   CASH.  379 

at  which  the  just  and  the  generous  can  command,  in 
imagination,  the  means  to  do  kindred  deeds. 

Soon  he  found,  to  his  horror,  that  he  had  seen  but  a 
small  percentage  of  the  distress  his  father  had  caused ; 
the  greater  griefs,  as  usual,  stayed  at  home.  Behind  the 
gadding  woes  lay  a  terrible  number  of  silent,  decent, 
ruined  homes,  and  broken  hearts,  and  mixed  sorrows  so 
unmerited,  so  complicated,  so  piteous,  and  so  cruel,  that 
he  was  ready  to  tear  his  hair,  to  know  them  and  not  be 
able  to  relieve  them  instantly. 

Of  that  mere  sample  I  give  a  mere  sample  :  divine  the 
bulk  then,  and  revolve  a  page  of  human  history  often 
turned  by  the  people,  but  too  little  studied  by  statisti- 
cians and  legislators. 

Mr.  Esgar,  a  respectable  merchant,  had  heavy  engage- 
ments, to  meet  which  his  money  lay  at  the  old  bank. 
Living  at  a  distance  he  did  not  hear  the  news  till  near 
dinner-time,  and  he  had  promised  to  take  his  daughters 
to  a  ball  that  night.  He  did  so,  left  them  there,  went 
home,  packed  up  their  clothes,  and  valuables,  and  next 
day  levanted  with  them  to  America,  taking  all  the  money 
he  could  scrape  together  in  London ;  and  so  he  passed 
his  ruin  on  to  others.  Esgar  was  one  of  those  who  wear 
their  honesty  long,  but  loose :  it  was  his  first  disloyal 
act  in  business  ;  "  Dishonesty  made  me  dishonest,"  was 
his  excuse.      Valeat  quantum. 

John  Shaw,  a  steady  footman,  had  saved  and  saved, 
from  twenty-one  years  old  to  thirty-eight,  for  "  Footman's 
Paradise,"  a  public-house.  He  was  now  engaged  to  a 
comely  barmaid,  who  sympathized  with  him  therein ; 
and  he  had  just  concluded  a  bargain  for  the  "Rose  and 
Crown  "  in  the  suburbs.  Unluckily  for  him,  the  money 
had  not  been  paid  over.  The  blow  fell ;  he  lost  his  all : 
not  his  money  only,  but  his  wasted  life.  He  could  not 
be  twenty-one  again,  so  he  hanged  himself  within  forty- 


380  HARD   CASH. 

eight  hours,  and  was  buried  by  the  parish,  grumbling  a 
little,  pitying  none. 

James  and  Peter  Gilpin,  William  Scott,  and  Joel 
Paton,  were  poor  fishermen,  and  Anglo-Saxon  heroes : 
that's  heroes  with  an  eye  to  the  main  chance.  They 
risked  their  lives  at  sea  to  save  a  ship  and  get  salvage ; 
failing  there,  they  risked  their  lives  all  the  same,  like 
fine  fellows  as  they  were,  to  save  the  crew.  They  suc- 
ceeded, but  ruined  their  old  boat.  A  subscription  was 
raised,  and  prospered  so,  that  a  boat-builder  built  them 
a  new  one  on  tick,  price  eighty-five  pounds,  and  the  pub- 
licans said,  '•'  Drink,  boys,  drink  ;  the  subscription  will 
cover  all :  it  is  up  to  a  hundred  and  twenty  already." 
The  subscription  money  was  swallowed  with  the  rest, 
and  the  Anglo-Saxon  heroes  hauled  to  prison. 

Dr.  Phillips,  aged  seventy-four,  warned  by  growing 
infirmities,  had  sold  a  tidy  practice,  with  house,  furni- 
ture, and  good-will,  for  a  fair  price,  and  put  it  in  the 
bank,  awaiting  some  investment.  The  money  was  gone 
now,  and  the  poor  old  doctor,  with  a  wife  and  daughter 
and  a  crutch,  was  at  once  a  pauper  and  an  exile ;  for  he 
had  sold  under  the  usual  condition,  not  to  practise  with- 
in so  many  miles  of  his  siiccessor.  He  went  to  that 
successor,  and  begged  permission  to  be  his  assistant  at  a 
small,  small  salary.  "I  want  a  younger  man,"  was  the 
reply.  Then  he  went  round  to  his  old  patients,  and 
begged  a  few  half-guineas  to  get  him  a  horse  and  chaise 
and  keep  him  over  the  first  month  in  his  new  place.  They 
pitied  him,  but  most  of  them  were  sufferers  too  by 
Hardie,  and  all  they  gave  him  did  but  buy  a  donkey  and 
cart ;  and  with  that  he  and  his  Avent  slowly  and  sadly  to 
a  village  ten  miles  distant  from  the  place  where  all  his 
life  had  been  spent  in  comfort  and  good  credit.  The 
poor  old  gentleman  often  looked  back  from  his  cart  at 
the  church  spires  of  Barkington. 


HARD   CASH.  381 

From  seventeen  till  now  almost  fourscore 
There  lived  he,  but  now  lived  there  no  more. 
At  seventeen  man}'  their  fortunes  seek  ; 
But  at  fourscore  it  is  too  old  a  week. 

Arrived  at  his  village,  he  had  to  sell  his  donkey  and 
trust  to  his  crutch.  And  so  infirmity  crept  about,  beg- 
ging leave  to  cure  disease,  with  what  success  may  be 
inferred  from  this  :  Miss  Phillips,  a  ladylike  girl  of 
eighteen,  was  taken  up  by  Farmer  Giles  before  Squire 
Langton,  for  stealing  turnips  out  of  a  field;  the  farmer 
was  hard,  and  his  losses  in  Hardie's  bank  had  made  him 
bitter  hard,  so  the  poor  girl's  excuse,  that  she  could  not 
let  her  father  starve,  had  no  effect  on  him :  to  jail  she 
should  go.^ 

Took  to  the  national  vice,  and  went  to  the  national 
dogs,  Thomas  Fisher,  a  saving  tinman,  and  a  bachelor; 
so  I  expect  no  pity  for  him. 

To  the  same  goal,  by  the  same  road,  dragging  their 
families,  went  the  Rev.  Henry  Scudamore,  a  curate; 
Philip  Hall,  a  linendraper ;  Neil  Pratt,  a  shoemaker ; 
Simon  Harris,  a  greengrocer;  and  a  few  more;  but  the 
above  were  all  prudent,  laborious  men,  who  took  a 
friendly  glass,  but  seldom  exceeded,  until  Hardie's  bank- 
ruptcy drove  them  to  the  devil  of  drink  for  comfort. 

Turned  professional  thief,  Joseph  Locke,  working 
locksmith,  who  had  just  saved  money  enough  to  buy  a 
shop  and  good-will,  and  now  lost  it  every  penny. 

Turned  atheist,  and  burned  the  family  Bible  before 
his  weeping  wife  and  terrified  children  and  gaping  serv- 
ant girl,  Mr.  Williams,  a  Sunday-school  teacher,  known 

1  I  f5nd,  however,  that  Squire  Langton  resolutely  refused  to  commit  Miss 
Pliillips.  Tlie  real  reason,  I  suspect,  was,  that  he  had  a  respect  for  the  gos- 
pel, and  not  much  for  the  law,  except  those  invaluable  clauses  wliich  restrain 
poaching.  The  reason  he  gave  was,  "Turnips  be  hanged!  If  she  hadn't 
eaten  them,  the  fly  would."  However,  he  found  means  to  muzzle  Giles,  and 
sent  the  old  doctor  two  couple  of  rabbits. 


382  HARD  CASH. 

hitherto  only  as  a  mild,  respectable  man,  a  teetotaller, 
jind  a  good  parent  and  hnsband.  He  did  not  take  to 
drinking,  but  he  did  to  cursing,  and  forbade  his  own  flesh 
and  blood  ever  to  enter  a  church  again.  This  man 
became  an  outcast,  shunned  by  all. 

Three  elderly  sisters,  the  Misses  Lunley,  well  born 
and.  bred,  lived  together  on  their  funds,  which,  small 
singly,  united  made  a  decent  competence.  Two  of  them 
had  refused  marriage  in  early  life  for  fear  the  third 
should  fall  into  less  tender  hands  than  theirs.  For 
Miss  Blanche  Lunley  was  a  cripple ;  disorder  of  the 
spine  had  robbed  her,  in  youth's  very  bloom,  of  the 
power  not  only  to  dance  as  you  girls  do,  but  to  walk  or 
even  stand  upright,  leaving  her  two  active  little  hands, 
and  a  heart  as  nearly  angelic  as  we  are  likely  to  see  here 
on  earth. 

She  lay  all  day  long  on  a  little  iron  bedstead  at  the 
window  of  their  back  parlor  that  looked  on  a  sunny 
little  lawn,  working  eagerly  for  the  poor ;  teaching  the 
poor,  young  and  old,  to  read,  chiefly  those  of  her  own 
sex ;  hearing  the  sorrows  of  the  poor,  composing  the 
quarrels  of  the  poor,  relieving  their  genuine  necessities 
with  a  little  mone}',  and  much  ingenuit}^  and  labor. 

Some  poor  woman,  in  a  moment  of  inspiration,  called 
Miss  Blanche  "the  sunshine  of  the  poor."  The  word 
was  instantly  caught  up  in  the  parish,  and  had  now  this 
many  years  gently  displaced  "  Lunley,"  and  settled  on  her 
here  below,  and  its  echo  gone  before  her  up  to  heaven. 

The  poor  "  sunshine  of  the  poor "  was  happy ;  life 
was  sweet  to  her.  To  know  whether  this  is  so,  it  is 
useless  to  inquire  of  the  backbone,  or  the  limbs  ;  look 
at  the  face  !  She  lay  at  her  Avindow  in  the  kindred  sun- 
shine, and  in  a  Avorld  of  sturdy,  able,  agile  cursers, 
grumblers,  and  j^awners,  her  face,  pale  as  ashes,  wore 
the  eternal  sunshine  of  a  happy,  holy  smile. 


HARD   CASH.  383 

But  there  came  one  to  her  bedside,  and  told  her  the 
bank  was  broken,  and  all  the  money  gone  she  and  her 
sisters  had  lent  Mr.  Hardie. 

The  saint  clasped  her  hands,  and  said,  "  Oh,  my  poor 
people  !  What  will  become  of  them  ?  "  And  the  tears 
ran  down  her  pale  and  now  sorrowful  cheeks. 

At  this  time  she  did  not  know  the  full  extent  of  their 
losses. 

But  they  had  given  Mr.  Hardie  a  power  of  attorney 
to  draw  out  all  their  consols.  That  remorseless  man 
had  abused  the  discretion  this  gave  him,  and  beggared 
them  —  they  were  his  personal  friends  too  —  to  swell 
his  secret  hoard. 

When  "the  sunshine  of  the  poor"  heard  this,  and 
knew  that  she  was  now  the  poorest  of  the  poor,  she 
clasped  her  hands  and  cried,  "  Oh,  my  poor  sisters  !  my 
poor  sisters ! "  and  she  could  work  no  more  for  sigh- 
ing. 

The  next  morning  found  "the  sunshine  of  the  poor" 
extinct  in  her  little  bed ;  ay,  dead  of  grief  with  no 
grain  of  egotism  in  it :  gone  straight  to  heaven  without 
one  angry  word  against  Kichard  Hardie  or  any  other. 

Old  Betty  had  a  horror  of  the  -workhouse.  To  save 
her  old  age  from  it  she  had  deposited  her  wages  in  the 
bank  for  the  last  twenty  years,  and  also  a  little  legacy 
from  Mr.  Hardie's  father.  She  now  went  about  the 
house  of  her  master  and  debtor,  declaring  she  was  sure 
he  would  not  rob  he7%  and,  if  he  did,  she  would  never  go 
into  the  poorhouse.  "  I'll  go  out  on  the  common,  and 
die  there.     Nobody  will  miss  me." 

The  next  instance  led  to  consequences  upon  conse- 
quences :  and  that  is  my  excuse  for  telling  it  the  reader 
somewhat  more  fully  than  Alfred  heard  it. 

Mrs.  Maxley,  one  night,  found  something  rough  at  her 
feet  in  bed.     "  What  on  earth  is  this  ?  "  said  she. 


38-1  HARD   CASH. 

"Never  you  mind,"  said  Maxley ;  "say  it's  my 
breeches,  what  then  ?  " 

"  Why,  what  on  earth  does  the  man  put  his  breeches 
to  bed  for  ?  " 

"  That  is  my  business,"  roared  Maxley;  and  whispered 
dryly,  "  'tain't  for  you  to  wear  'em,  howsever." 

This  little  spar  led  to  his  telling  her  he  had  drawn 
out  all  their  money  ;  but,  when  she  asked  the  reason,  he 
snubbed  her  again  indirectly ;  recommended  her  sleep. 

The  fact  is,  the  small-clothes  were  full  of  bank-notes, 
and  Maxley  always  followed  them  into  bed  now  for  fear 
of  robbers. 

The  bank  broke  on  a  Tuesday  ;  Maxley  dug  on  impas- 
sive ;  and  when  curious  people  came  about  him  to  ask 
whether  he  was  a  loser,  he  used  to  inquire  very  gravely, 
and  dwelling  on  every  syllable,  "  Do  —  you  — see  — any- 
thing —  green  —  in  this  here  eye  ?  " 

Friday  was  club  day  :  the  clubsmen  met  at  the  "  Grey- 
hound "  and  talked  over  their  losses.  Maxley  sat  smok- 
ing complacently ;  and,  when  his  turn  came  to  groan,  he 
said  dryly,  "  I  draad  all  mine  a  week  afore.  (Exclama- 
tions.) I  had  a  hinkling.  My  boy  Jack  he  wrote  to  me 
from  Canada  as  how  Hardies  was  rotten  out  there.  Now 
these  here  bankers  they  be  like  an  oak-tree;  they  do  go 
at  the  limbs  first,  and  then  at  the  heart." 

The  club  was  wroth.  "  What  ?  you  went  and  made 
yourself  safe,  and  never  gave  any  of  us  a  chance  !  Was 
that  neighborly  ?  was  that  —  clubable  ?  " 

To  a  hailstorm  of  similar  reproaches,  Maxley  made 
but  one  reply  :  "  'Twarn't  my  business  to  take  care  o' 
you."  He  added,  however,  a  little  sulkily,  "  I  was  laad 
for  slander  once  ;  scalded  dog  fears  lue-warm  water." 

"  Oh,"  said  one,  "  I  don't  believe  him.  He  puts  a  good 
face  on  it,  but  his  nine  hundred  is  gone  along  with  ourn." 

"  Tain't  gone  far,  then."     With  this  he  put  his  han^ 


HARD   CASH. 


ooO 


in  his  pocket,  and  after  some  delay  pulled  out  a  nice  new 
crisp  note  and  held  it  up :  "  What  is  that  ?  1  ask  the 
company." 

"  Looks  like  a  ten-pun  note,  James." 

"Well,  the  bulk  'grees  with  the  sample;  I  knows 
where  to  find  eight  score  and  nine  to  match  this  here." 

The  note  was  handed  round :  and  on  inspection  each 
countenance  in  turn  wore  a  malicious  smile ;  till  at  last 
Maxley,  surrounded  by  grinning  faces,  felt  uneasy. 

"  What  be  'e  all  grinning  at  like  a  litter  o'  Chessy  cats  ? 
warn't  ye  ugly  enough  without  showing  of  your  rotten 
teeth  ?  " 

"Haw!  haAv!" 

"Better  say  'tain't  money  at  all,  but  only  a  wench's 
curl-paper : "  and  he  got  up  and  snatched  it  fiercely  out 
of  the  last  inspector's  hand.  "Ye  can't  run  your  rigs 
on  me,"  said  he.  "  What  an  if  I  can't  read  words,  I  can 
figures ;  and  I  spelt  the  ten  out  on  every  one  of  them, 
afore  I'd  take  it." 

A  loud  and  general  laugh  greeted  this  boast. 

Then  Maxley  snatched  up  his  hat  in  great  wrath,  and 
some  anxiety,  and  went  out  followed  by  a  peal. 

In  five  minutes  he  was  at  home  ;  and  tossed  the  note  into 
his  wife's  lap.  She  was  knitting  by  a  farthing  dip. 
"  Dame  !  "  said  he,  controlling  all  appearance  of  anxiety, 
"  what  d'ye  call  that  ?  " 

She  took  up  the  note  and  held  it  close  to  the  candle : 
"Why,  Jem,  it  is  a  ten-pound  note, one  of  Hardie's  —  as 
was." 

"  Then  what  were  those  fools  laughing  at  ?  "  And  he 
told  her  all  that  had  happened. 

Mrs.  Maxley  dropped  her  knitting  and  stood  up  trem- 
bling :  "  Why,  you  told  me  you  had  got  our  money  all 
safe  out. " 

"  Well,  and  so  I  have,  ye  foolish  woman :  "  and  he  drew 


386  HARD  CASH. 

the  whole  packet  out  of  his  pocket  and  flung  them 
fiercely  on  the  table.  Mrs.  Maxley  ran  her  finger  and 
eye  over  them,  and  uttered  a  scream  of  anger  and  despair, 

"  These  !  these  be  all  Hardie's  notes,"  she  cried ;  "  and 
what  vally  be  Hardie's  notes  when  Hardie's  be  broke  ?  " 

Maxley  staggered  as  if  he  had  been  shot. 

The  woman's  eyes  flashed  fur}^  at  him :  "  This  is  your 
work,  ye  born  idiot:  'Mind  your  own  business,'  says 
you :  you  must  despise  your  wedded  wife,  that  has  more 
brains  in  her  finger  than  you  have  in  all  your  great,  long, 
useless  carcass :  you  must  have  your  secrets :  one  day 
poison,  another  day  beggary :  j'ou  have  ruined  me,  you 
have  murdered  me  :  get  out  of  my  sight !  for  if  I  find  a 
knife  I'll  put  it  in  you,  I  will."  And  in  her  ungovernable 
passion,  she  actually  ran  to  the  dresser  for  a  knife :  at 
which  Maxley  caught  up  a  chair  and  lifted  it  furiously 
above  his  head  to  fling  at  her. 

Luckily  the  man  had  more  self-command  than  the 
woman ;  he  dashed  the  chair  furiously  on  the  floor,  and 
ran  out  of  the  house. 

He  wandered  about  half  stupid :  and  presently  his  feet 
took  him  mechanically  round  to  his  garden.  He  pottered 
about  among  his  plants,  looking  at  them,  inspecting  them 
closely,  and  scarce  seeing  them.  However,  he  covered 
up  one  or  two,  and  muttered,  "  I  think  there  will  be  a 
frost  to-night :  I  think  there  will  be  a  frost."  Then 
'his  legs  seemed  to  give  way.  He  sat  down  and  thought 
of  his  wedding-day  :  he  began  to  talk  to  himself  out  loud, 
as  some  peo^Dle  do  in  trouble :  "  Bless  her  comely  face," 
said  he,  "  and  to  think  I  had  my  arm  lifted  to  strike  her, 
after  wearing  her  so  long,  and  finding  her  good  stuff  upon 
the  whole.  Well,  thank  my  stars  I  didn't.  We  must 
make  the  best  on't :  money's  gone  ;  but  here's  the  garden 
and  our  hands  still :  and  'tain't  as  if  we  were  single  to 
gnaw  our  hearts  alone :  wedded  life  cuts  grief  a  two. 


HARD   CASH.  387 

Let's  make  it  up  :  and  begin  again.  Sixty,  come  Martin- 
}nas  :  and  Susan  forty -eight :  and  I  be  a'most  weary  of 
turning  moulds." 

He  went  round  to  his  front  door. 

There  was  a  crowd  round  it ;  a  buzzing  crowd,  with  all 
their  faces  turned  towards  his  door. 

He  came  at  their  backs,  and  asked  peevishly  what  was 
to  do  now.  Some  of  the  women  shrieked  at  his  voice. 
The  crowd  turned  about,  and  a  score  of  faces  peered  at 
him :  some  filled  with  curiosity,  some  with  pity. 

"Lord  help  us!"  said  the  poor  man,  "is  there  any 
more  trouble  a-foot  to-day  ?  Stand  aside,  please ;  and 
let  me  know." 

"  No  !  no  ! "  cried  a  woman,  "  don't  let  him." 

"  Not  let  me  go  into  my  own  house,  young  woman  ?  " 
said  Maxley,  wath  dignity  :  "  be  these  your  manners  ?  " 

"  0  James  !  I  meant  you  no  ill.     Poor  man  ! " 

"  Poor  soul !  "  said  another. 

"  Stand  aloof !  "  said  a  strange  map.  "  Who  has  as 
good  a  right  to  be  there  as  he  have  ?  " 

A  lane  was  made  directly,  and  Maxley  rushed  down 
between  two  rows  of  peering  faces,  with  his  knees  knocking 
together,  and  burst  into  his  own  house.  A  scream  from 
the  women  inside,  as  he  entered,  and  a  deep  groan  from 
the  strong  man  bereaved  of  his  mate,  told  the  tragedy. 
Poor  Susan  JNIaxley  was  gone. 

She  had  died  of  breast-pang,  within  a  minute  of  his 
leaving  her ;  and  the  last  words  of  two  faithful  spouses 
were  words  of  anger. 

All  these  things,  and  many  more  less  tragic,  but  very 
deplorable,  came  to  Alfred  Hardie's  knowledge,  and 
galled  and  afflicted  him  deeply.  And  several  of  these 
revelations  heaped  discredit  high  upon  Richard  Hardie, 
till  the  young  man,  born  with  a  keen  sense  of  justice, 
and  bred  amongst  honorable  minds,  began  to  shudder  at 
his  own  father. 


388  HARD  CASH. 

Herein  he  was  aloi)e ;  Jane,  with  the  affectionate 
blindness  of  her  sex,  could  throw  her  arms  round  her 
father's  neck,  and  pity  him  for  his  losses  —  by  his  own 
dishonesty  —  and  pity  him  most  when  some  victim  of 
his  unprincipled  conduct  died,  or  despaired.  "  Poor  papa 
will  feel  this  so  deeply,"  was  her  only  comment  on  such 
occasions. 

Alfred  was  not  sorry  she  could  take  this  view ;  and 
left  her  unmolested  to  confound  black  with  white,  and 
wrong  with  right,  at  affection's  dictates,  but  his  own 
trained  understanding  was  not  to  be  duped  in  matters 
of  plain  morality.  And  so,  unable  to  cure  the  wrongs  he 
deplored,  unable  to  put  his  conscience  into  his  pocket, 
like  Richard  Hardie,  or  into  his  heart  like  Jane,  he 
wandered  alone,  or  sat  brooding  and  dejected :  and 
the  attentive  reader,  if  I  am  so  fortunate  as  to  possess 
one,  will  not  be  surprised  to  learn  that  he  was  troubled 
too  with  dark  mysterious  surmises  he  half  dreaded,  yet 
felt  it  his  duty,  to  fathom.  These  and  Mrs.  Dodd's  loss 
by  the  bank  combined  to  keep  him  out  of  Albion  Villa. 
He  often  called  to  ask  after  Captain  Dodd,  but  was 
ashamed  to  enter  the  house. 

Now  Richard  Hardie's  anxiety  to  know  whether  David 
was  to  die  or  live  had  not  declined,  but  rather  increased. 
If  the  latter,  he  was  now  resolved  to  fly  to  the  United 
States  with  his  booty,  and  cheat  his  alienated  son  along 
with  the  rest :  he  had  come  by  degrees  down  to  this.  It 
was  on  Alfred  he  had  counted  to'  keep  him  informed  of 
David's  state :  but,  on  his  putting  a  smooth  inquiry,  the 
young  man's  face  flushed  with  shame,  or  anger,  or  some- 
thing, and  he  gave  a  very  short,  sharp,  and  obscure  reply. 
In  reality  he  did  not  know  much,  nor  did  Sarah,  his 
informant;  for  of  late  the  servants  had  never  been 
allowed  to  enter  David's  room. 

Mr.  Hardie,  after  this  rebuff,  never  asked  Alfred  again 


HARD   CASH.  389 

but  having  heard  Sampson's  name  mentioned  as  Dodd's 
medical  attendant,  wrote  and  asked  him  to  come  and 
dine,  next  time  he  should  visit  Barkington  :  — 

You  will  find  me  a  fallen  man  (said  he)  ;  to-mon'ow  we 
resign  our  house  and  premises  and  furniture  to  the  assignees, 
and  go  to  live  at  a  little  furnished  cottage  not  very  far  from 
your  friends  the  Dodds.  It  is  called  "  Musgrove  Cottage." 
There,  where  we  have  so  little  to  offer  besides  a  welcome, 
none  but  true  friends  will  come  near  us :  indeed,  there  are 
very  few  I  should  venture  to  ask  for  such  a  proof  of  fidelity  to 
your  broken  friend. 

R.  II. 

The  good-hearted  Sampson  sent  a  cordial  reply,  and 
came  to  dinner  at  Musgrove  Cottage. 

Now  all  Hardie  wanted  of  him  in  reality  was  to  know 
about  David ;  so  when  Jane  had  retired,  and  the  decanter 
circulated,  he  began  to  pump  him  by  his  vanity.  "  I 
understand,"  said  he,  "you  have  wrought  one  of  your 
surprising  cures  in  this  neighborhood.     Albion  Villa  !  " 

Sampson  shook  his  head  sorrowfully  :  Mr.  Hardie's 
eyes  sparkled;  Alfred  watched  him  keenly  and  bit- 
terly. 

"  How  can  I  work  a  great  cure  after  those  ass-ass-ins 
Short  and  Osmond  ?  Look,-  see !  the  man  had  been 
wounded  in  the  hid,  and  lost  blood:  thin  stabbed  in  the 
shoulder;  and  lost  more  blood."  Both  the  Hardies 
uttered  an  ejaculation  of  unfeigned  surprise.  "  So,  instid 
of  recruiting  the  buddy  thus  exhausted  of  the  great  liquid 
material  of  all  repair,  the  profissional  ass-ass-in  came 
and  exhausted  him  worse  :  stabbed  him  while  he  slept ; 
stabbed  him  unconscious,  stabbed  him  in  a  vein :  and 
stole  more  blood  from  him.  Wasn't  that  enough  ?  No  ! 
the  routine  of  profissional  ass-ass-ination  had  but  begun  ; 
nixt  they  stabbed  him  with  cupping-needles,  and  so  stole 
more  of  his  life-blood.     And  they  were  goeu  from  their 


390  HAKD   CASH. 

stabs  to  their  bites,  goen  to  leech  his  temples,  and  so 
hand  him  over  to  the  sixton." 

"  But  you  came  in  and  saved  him,"  cried  Alfred. 

"  1  saved  his  life,"  said  Sampson,  sorrowfully  :  "  but 
life  is  not  the  only  good  thing  a  man  may  be  robbed  of  by 
those  who  steal  his  life-blood,  and  so  impoverish  and 
water  the  contints  of  the  vessels  of  the  brain." 

"  Dr.  Sampson,"  said  Alfred,  "  what  do  you  mean  by 
these  mysterious  words  ?  you  alarm  me." 

"  What,  don't  you  know  ?     Haven't  they  told  you  ?  " 

"Ko,  I  have  not  had  the  courage  to  enter  the  house 
since  the  bank  "  —     He  stopped  in  confusion. 

*'Ay,  I  understand,"  said  Sampson:  "however,  it  can't 
be  hidden  now  — 

"  He  is  a  maniac." 

Sampson  made  this  awful  announcement  soberly  and 
sorrowfully. 

Alfred  groaned  aloud,  and  even  his  father  experienced 
a  momentary  remorse  ;  but  so  steady  had  been  the  progress 
of  corruption,  that  he  felt  almost  unmixed  joy  the  next 
instant;  and  his  keen-witted  son  surprised  the  latter 
sentiment  in  his  face,  and  shuddered  with  disgust. 

Sampson  went  on  to  say  that  he  believed  the  poor 
man  had  gone  flourishing  a  razor;  and  j\[rs.  Dodd  had 
said,  "  Yes,  kill  me,  David :  kill  the  mother  of  your 
children,"  and  never  moved :  which  feminine,  or  in  other 
words  irrational,  behavior,  had  somehow  disarmed  him. 
But  it  would  not  happen  again  :  his  sister  had  come :  a 
sensible,  resolute  woman.  She  had  signed  the  order, 
and  Osmond  and  he  the  certificates,  and  he  was  gone  to 
a  private  asylum.  "  Talking  of  that,"  said  Sampson, 
rising  suddenly,  "I  must  go  and  give  them  a  word  of 
comfort;  for  they  are  just  breaking  their  hearts  at  part- 
ing with  him,  poor  things:  I'll  be  back  in  an  hour." 


HARD   CASH.  391 

On  his  departure,  Jane  returned  and  made  the  tea  in 
the  dinmg-room  :  they  lived  like  that  now. 

Mr.  Hardie  took  it  from  his  favorite's  little  white 
hand,  and  smiled  on  her :  he  should  not  have  to  go  to  a 
foreign  land  after  all :  who  would  believe  a  madman  if 
he  should  rave  about  his  thousands  ?  He  sipped  his  tea 
luxuriously,  and  presently  delivered  himself  thus,  with 
bland  self-satisfaction :  — 

''  My  dear  Alfred,  some  time  ago  you  wished  to  marry 
a  young  lady  without  fortune  ;  you  thought  that  I  had  a 
large  one  :  and  you  expected  me  to  supply  all  deficiencies. 
You  did  not  overrate  my  parental  feeling ;  but  you  did 
my  means  :  I  would  have  done  this  for  you,  and  with 
pleasure,  but  for  my  own  coming  misfortunes.  As  it 
was,  I  said,  '  No.'  And,  when  you  demanded,  somewhat 
peremptorily,  my  reasons,  I  said,  'Trust  me.'  Well,  you 
see  I  was  right:  such  a  marriage  would  have  been  your 
utter  ruin.  However,  I  conclude  after  what  Dr.  Sampson 
has  told  us,  you  have  resigned  it  on  other  grounds.  Jane, 
my  dear,  Captain  Dodd,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  is  afflicted. 
He  has  gone  mad." 

''  Gone  mad  ?  oh,  how  shocking  !  What  will  become 
of  his  poor  children  ?  "     She  thought  of  Edward  first. 

"  We  have  just  heard  it  from  Sampson.  And  I  presume, 
Alfred,  you  are  not  so  far  gone  as  to  insist  on  propagating 
insanity,  by  a  marriage  with  his  daughter." 

At  this  conclusion,  which  struck  her  obliquely,  though 
aimed  at  Alfred,  Jane  sighed  gently ;  and  her  dream  of 
earthly  happiness  seemed  to  melt  away. 

But  Alfred  ground  his  teeth,  and  replied  with  great 
bitterness  and  emotion,  "  I  think,  sir,  you  are  the  last 
man  who  ought  to  congratulate  yourself  on  the  affliction 
that  has  fallen  on  that  unhappy  family  I  aspire  to  enter, 
all  the  more  that  now  they  have  calamities  for  me  to 
share  "  — 


392  HAKD   CASH. 

"More  fool  you,"  put  in  ]\[r.  Hardie,  calmly. 

''  —  For  I  much  fear  you  are  one  of  the  causes  of  that 
calamity." 

jNIr.  Hardie  assumed  a  puzzled  air.  "  I  don't  see  how 
that  can  be,  do  you,  Jenny  ?  Sampson  told  us  the 
causes :  a  wound  on  the  head,  a  wound  in '  the  arm, 
bleeding,  cupping,  etc." 

"There  may  be  other  causes  Dr.  Sampson  has  not 
been  told  of  —  yet." 

"  Possibly.     I  really  don't  know  what  you  allude  to." 

The  son  fixed  his  eyes  on  the  father,  and  leaned  across 
the  table  to  him  till  their  faces  nearly  met. 

"  The  fourteen  thousand  pounds,  sir." 


HARD   CASH.  393 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Mr.  Hardie  was  taken  by  surprise  for  once,  and  had 
not  a  word  to  say,  but  looked  in  his  son's  face,  mute  and 
gasping  as  a  fish. 

During  this  painful  silence  his  children  eyed  him 
inquiringly,  but  not  with  the  same  result ;  for  one  face 
is  often  read  differently  by  two  persons  :  to  Jane,  whose 
intelligence  had  no  aids,  he  seemed  unaffectedly  puzzled ; 
but  Alfred  discerned  beneath  his  wonder  the  terror  of 
detection  rising,  and  then  thrust  back  by  the  strong  will ; 
that  stoical  face  shut  again  like  an  iron  door,  but  not 
quickly  enough;  the  right  words,  the  "open  sesame," 
had  been  spoken,  and  one  unguarded  look  had  confirmed 
Alfred's  vague  suspicions  of  foul  play.  He  turned  his 
own  face  away  ;  he  was  alienated  by  the  occurrences  of 
the  last  few  months,  but  nature  and  tender  reminiscences 
still  held  him  by  some  fibres  of  the  heart.  In  a  moment 
of  natural  indignation  he  had  applied  the  touchstone, 
but  its  success  grieved  him  ;  he  could  not  bear  to  go  on 
exposing  his  father,  so  he  left  the  room  with  a  deep  sigh, 
in  which  pity  mingled  with  shame  and  regret.  He  wan- 
dered out  into  the  silent  night,  and  soon  was  leaning  on 
the  gate  of  Albion  Villa,  gazing  wistfully  at  the  windows, 
and  sore  perplexed  and  nobly  wretched. 

As  he  was  going  out,  Mr.  Hardie  raised  his  eyebrows 
with  a  look  of  disinterested  wonder  and  curiosity,  and 
touched  his  forehead  to  Jane,  as  much  as  to  say,  "  Is  he 
disordered  in  his  mind  ?  " 

As  soon  as  they  were  alone,  he  asked  her  coolly  what 
Alfred  meant.     She  said  she  had  no   idea.     Then  he 


394  HARD  CASH. 

examined  her  keenly  about  this  fourteen  thousand 
pounds ;  and  found,  to  his  relief,  Alfred  had  never 
even  mentioned  it  to  her. 

And  now  Richard  Hardie,  like  his  son,  wanted  to  be 
alone,  and  think  over  this  new  peril  that  had  risen  in  the 
bosom  of  his  own  family  ;  and,  for  once,  the  company 
of  his  favorite  child  was  irksome.  He  made  an  excuse 
and  strolled  out  in  his  turn  into  the  silent  night.  It 
was  calm  and  clear  ;  the  thousand  holy  eyes  under  which 
men  prefer  to  do  their  crimes  —  except  when  they  are  in 
too  great  a  hurry  to  wait  —  looked  down  and  seemed  to 
wonder  anything  can  be  so  silly  as  to  sin  ;  and  beneath 
their  pure  gaze  the  man  of  the  world  pondered  with 
all  his  soul.  He  tormented  himself  with  conjectures  : 
through  what  channel  did  Alfred  suspect  him  ?  through 
the  Dodds  ?  were  they  aware  of  their  loss  ?  had  the 
pocket-book  spoken  ?  If  so,  why  had  not  Mrs.  Dodd  or 
her  son  attacked  him  ?  But  then,  perhaps  Alfred  was 
their  agent :  they  Avished  to  try  a  friendly  remonstrance 
through  a  mutual  friend  before  proceeding  to  extremities  ; 
this  accorded  with  Mrs.  Dodd's  character  as  he  remem- 
bered her. 

The  solution  was  reasonable,  but  he  was  relieved  of  it 
by  recollecting  what  Alfred  had  said  :  that  he  had  not 
entered  the  house  since  the  bank  broke. 

On  this  he  began  to  hope  Alfred's  might  be  a  mere 
suspicion  he  could  not  establish  by  any  proof,  and,  at  all 
events,  he  would  lock  it  in  his  own  breast  like  a  good 
son  ;  his  never  having  given  a  hint  even  to  his  sister 
favored  this  supposition. 

Thus  meditating,  Mr.  Hardie  found  himself  at  the 
gate  of  Albion  Villa. 

Yet  he  had  strolled  out  with  no  particular  intention 
of  going  there.  Had  his  mind,  apprehensive  of  danger 
from  that  quarter,  driven  his  body  thither? 


HARD   CASH.  395 

He  took  a  look  at  the  house,  and  the  first  thing  he  saw- 
was  a  young  lady  leaning  over  the  balcony  and  murmur- 
ing softly  to  a  male  figure  below,  whose  outline  jNIr.  Hardie 
could  hardly  discern,  for  it  stood  in  the  shadow.  Mr, 
Hardie  was  delighted  :  "Aha,  Miss  Juliet,"  said  he,  "if 
Alfred  does  not  visit  you,  some  one  else  does.  You 
have  soon  supplied  your  peevish  lover's  place."  He 
then  withdrew  softly  from  the  gate,  not  to  disturb  the 
intrigue,  and  watched  a  few  yards  off,  determined  to  see 
who  Julia's  nightly  visitor  was,  and  give  Alfred  surprise 
for  surprise. 

He  had  not  long  to  wait ;  the  man  came  away  directly, 
and  walked,  head  erect,  past  Mr.  Hardie,  and  glanced 
full  in  his  face,  but  did  not  vouchsafe  him  a  word. 
It  was  Alfred  himself.  jNFr.  Hardie  was  profoundly 
alarmed  and  indignant.  "  The  young  traitor !  Never 
enter  the  house  ?  no  ;  but  he  comes  and  tells  her  every- 
thing directly,  under  her  window,  on  the  sly  :  and,  when 
he  is  caught  —  defies  me  to  my  face."  And  now  he  sus- 
pected female  cunning  and  malice  in  the  way  that  thun- 
derbolt had  been  quietly  prepared  for  him  and  launched, 
without  warning,  in  his  very  daughter's  presence,  and 
the  result  just  communicated  to  Julia  Dodd. 

In  a  very  gloomy  mood  he  followed  his  son,  and  heard 
his  firm  though  elastic  tread  on  the  frosty  ground,  and 
saw  how  loftily  he  carried  his  head,  and  from  that  mo- 
ment feared  and  very,  very  nearly  hated  him. 

The  next  day  he  feigned  sick,  and  sent  for  Osmond. 
That  worthy  prescribed  a  pill  and  a  draught :  the  former 
laxative,  the  latter  astringent.  This  ceremony  performed, 
Mr.  Hardie  gossiped  with  him  ;  and,  after  a  detour  or 
two,  glided  to  his  real  anxiety.  "  Sampson  tells  me  you 
know  more  about  Captain  Dodd's  case  than  he  does  ;  he 
is  not  very  clear  as  to  the  cause  of  the  poor  man's  going 
mad." 


896  HARD   CASH. 

"  The  cause  ?     Why,  apoplexy." 

"  Yes  ;  but  I  mean,  what  caused  the  apoplexy  ?  " 

My.  Osmond  replied  that  apoplexy  was  often  idiopathic' 
Captain  Dodd,  as  he  understood,  had  fallen  down  in  the 
street  in  a  sudden  fit ;  "  But  as  for  the  mania,  that  is  to 
be  attributed  to  an  insufficient  evacuation  of  blood  while 
under  the  apoplectic  coma." 

"  Not  bled  enough  !  Why,  Sampson  says  it  is  because 
he  was  bled  too  much." 

Osmond  was  amused  at  this,  and  repeated  that  the 
mania  came  of  not  being  bled  enough. 

The  discussion  was  turned  into  an  unexpected  quarter 
by  the  entrance  of  Jane  Hardie,  who  came  timidly  in 
and  said,  "  0  Mr.  Osmond,  I  cannot  let  you  go  without 
telling  you  how  anxious  I  am  about  Alfred.  He  is  so 
thin  and  pale  and  depressed." 

"  Nonsense,  Jane  !  "  said  Mr.  Hardie  ;  "  have  we  not  all 
cause  to  be  dejected  in  this  house  ?  "  But  she  persisted 
gently  that  there  was  more  in  it  than  that ;  and  his  head- 
aches were  worse  ;  and  she  could  not  be  easy  any  longer 
without  advice. 

"  Ah !  those  headaches,"  said  Mr.  Osmond,  "  they 
always  made  me  uneasy.  To  tell  the  truth.  Miss 
Hardie,  I  have  noticed  a  remarkable  change  in  him ; 
but  I  did  not  like  to  excite  apprehensions.  And  so  he 
mopes,  does  he  ?  seeks  solitude,  and  is  taciturn  and 
dejected  ?  " 

"  Yes.  But  I  do  not  mind  that  so  much  as  his  turning 
so  pale  and  thin." 

"  Oh,  it  is  all  part  of  one  malady." 

"  Then  you  know  what  is  the  matter  ?  " 

"  I  think  I  do ;  and  yours  is  a  wise  and  timely  anxiety. 
Your  brother's  is  a  very  delicate  case  of  a  hypereesthetic 

»  "Arising  of  itself."    A  term  rather  hastily  applied  to  disorders  the  coining 
■igns  of  which  have  not  been  detected  by  the  medical  attendant. 
The  birth  of  Topsy  was  idiopathic  — in  that  learned  lady's  opinion. 


HARD  CASH.  397 

character,  and  I  should  like  to  have  the  advice  of  a  pro- 
found physician.  Let  me  see,  Dr.  W^'cherley  will  be  with 
me  to-morrow ;  may  I  bring  him  over  as  a  friend  ?  " 

This  proposal  did  not  at  all  suit  Mr,  Hardie  ;  he  put 
his  own  construction  on  Alfred's  pallor  and  dejection, 
and  was  uneasy  at  the  idea  of  his  being  cross-questioned 
by  a  couple  of  doctors. 

''  No,  no,"  said  he ;  "  Taff  has  fancies  enough  already  ; 
I  cannot  have  you  gentlemen  coming  here  to  fill  his  head 
with  man}^  more." 

"  Oh,  he  has  fancies,  has  he  ?  "  said  Osmond,  keenly. 
"  IVIy  dear  sir,  we  shall  not  say  one  word  to  h  im  ;  that 
might  irritate  him  ;  but  I  should  like  you  to  hear  a  truly 
learned  opinion." 

Jane  looked  so  imploringly,  that  Mr.  Hardie  yielded 
a  reluctant  assent,  on  those  terms. 

So  the  next  day,  by  appointment,  Mr.  Osmond  intro- 
duced his  friend  Dr.  Wycherley :  bland  and  bald,  with  a 
fine  head,  and  a  face  naturally  intelligent,  but  crossed 
every  now  and  then  by  gleams  of  vacancy ;  a  man  of 
large  reading,  and  of  tact  to  make  it  subserve  his  inter- 
ests. A  voluminous  writer  on  certain  medical  subjects, 
he  had  so  saturated  himself  with  circumlo(!ution,  that  it 
distilled  from  his  very  tongue  ;  he  talked  like  an  article  ; 
a  quarterly  one  ;  and  so  gained  two  advantages  :  1st,  He 
rarely  irritated  a  fellow-creature  ;  for,  if  he  began  a  sen- 
tence hot,  what  with  its  length,  and  what  with  its  windi- 
ness,  he  ended  it  c6ol :  item,  stabs  by  polysyllables  are 
pricks  by  sponges.  2dly,  This  foible  earned  him  the 
admiration  of  fools ;  and  that  is  as  invaluable  as  they 
are  innumerable. 

Yet  was  there,  in  the  mother-tongue  he  despised,  one 
gem  of  a  word  he  vastly  admired,  like  most  quarterly 
writers.  That  charming  word,  the  pet  of  the  polysyl- 
labic, was  "  OF." 


398  HARD   CASH. 

He  opened  the  matter  in  a  subdued  and  sympathizing 
tone  well  calculated  to  win  a  loving  father  such  as  Richard 
Hardie  —  was  not. 

"  jNIy  good  friend  here  informs  me,  sir,  you  are  so 
fortunate  as  to  possess  a  son  of  distinguished  abilities, 
and  who  is  at  present  laboring  under  some  of  those  pre- 
cursory indications  of  incipient  disease  of  the  cerebro- 
psycliical  organs,  of  which  I  have  been,  I  may  say,  some- 
what successful  in  diagnosing  the  symptoms.  Unless  I 
have  been  misinformed,  he  has,  for  a  considerable  time, 
experienced  persistent  headache  of  a  kephalalgic  or  true 
cerebral  type,  and  has  now  advanced  to  the  succeeding 
stage  of  taciturnity  and  depression,  not  ^  unaccompanied 
with  isolation,  and  probably  constipation  ;  but  as  yet 
without  hallucination,  though  possibly,  and,  as  my  expe- 
rience of  the  great  majority  of  these  cases  would  induce 
me  to  say,  probably,  he  is  not^  undisturbed  by  one  or 
more  of  those  latent,  and,  at  first,  trifling  aberrations, 
either  of  the  intelligence  or  the  senses,  which,  in  their 
preliminary  stages,  escape  the  observation  of  all  but  the 
expert  nosologist." 

"  There,  you  see,"  said  Osmond,  "  Dr.  "Wycherley  agrees 
with  me ;  yet,  I  assure  you,  I  have  only  detailed  the 
symptoms,  and  not  the  conclusion  I  had  formed  from 
them." 

Jane  inquired  timidly  what  that  conclusion  was. 

"  Miss  Hardie,  we  think  it  one  of  those  obscure  tend- 
encies which  are  very  curable  if  taken  in  time  "  —  Dr. 
"Wycherley  ended  the  sentence —  "But  no  longer  reme- 
diable if  the  fleeting  opportunity  is  allowed  to  escape, 
and  diseased  action  to  pass  into  diseased  organization." 

Jane  looked  awe-struck  at  their  solemnity,  but  IMr. 
Hardie,  who  was  taking  advice  against  the  grain,  turned 
satirical.     "  Gentlemen,"  said  he,  "  be  pleased  to  begin 

1  Anglice,  "  accompanied."  '  Anglice,  "  disturbed." 


HAED   CASH.  399 

by  moderating  yoi;r  own  obscurity  ;  and  then,  perhaps  I 
shall  see  better  how  to  cure  my  son's  disorder  :  what  the 
deuce  are  you  driving  at  ?  " 

The  two  doctors  looked  at  one  another  inquiringly, 
and  so  settled  how  to  proceed.  Dr.  Wycherley  explained 
to  Mr.  Hardie  that  there  was  a  sort  of  general  unreason- 
able and  superstitious  feeling  abroad,  a  kind  of  terror  of 
the  complaint  with  which  his  son  was  threatened  ;  '■•and 
ivhich,  instead  of  the  m.ost  remediable  of  disorders,  is 
looked  at  as  the  most  incurable  of  maladies  ; "  it  was  on 
this  account  he  had  learned  to  approach  the  subject  with 
singular  caution,  and  even  with  a  timidity  which  was 
kinder  in  appearance  than  in  reality;  that  he  must 
admit. 

"  Well,  you  may  speak  out,  as  far  as  I  am  concerned," 
said  Mr.  Hardie,  with  consummate  indifference. 

"Oh,  yes!"  said  Jane,  in  a  fever  of  anxiety;  "pray 
conceal  nothing  from  us." 

"  Well,  then,  sir,  I  have  not  as  yet  had  the  advantage 
of  examining  your  son  personally,  but  from  the  diagnos- 
tics I  have  no  doubt  whatever  he  is  laboring  under  the 
first  foreshadowings  of  cerebro-psychical  perturbation. 
To  speak  plainly,  the  symptoms  are  characteristic  of 
the  initiatory  stage  of  the  germination  of  a  morbid  state 
of  the  phenoinena  of  intelligence." 

His  unprofessional  hearers  only  stared. 

"In  one  word,  then,"  said  Dr.  Wycherley,  waxing 
impatient  at  their  abominable  obtusement,  "it  is  the 
premonitory  stage  of  the  precursory  condition  of  an 
organic  affection  of  the  brain." 

"  Oh  ! "  said  Mr.  Hardie,  "  the  brain !  *  I  see ;  the  boy 
is  going  mad." 

The  doctors  stared  in  their  turn  at  the  prodigious  cool- 
ness   of    a    tender   parent.      "Xot    exactly,"   said  Dr, 

^  What  a  blessing  there  are  a  few  English  words  left  in  all  our  dialects. 


400  HARD  CASH. 

Wycherley ;  "  I  am  habitually  averse  to  exaggeration  Ot 
symptoms.  Your  son's  suggest  to  me  'the  incubation  of 
insanity,'  nothing  more." 

Jane  uttered  an  exclamation  of  horror :  the  doctor 
soothed  her  with  an  assurance  that  there  was  no  cause 
for  alarm.  "Incipient  aberration"  was  of  easy  cure: 
the  mischief  lay  in  delay.  "  Miss  Hardie,"  said  he 
paternally,  "  during  a  long  and  busy  professional  career, 
it  has  been  my  painful  province  to  witness  the  deplor- 
able consequences  of  the  non-recognition,  by  friends  and 
relatives,  of  the  precedent  symptoms  of  those  organic 
affections  of  the  brain,  the  relief  of  which  was  within 
the  reach  of  well-known  therapeutic  agents,  if  exhibited 
seasonably." 

He  went  on  to  deplore  the  blind  prejudice  of  unpro- 
fessional persons ;  who  chose  to  fancy  that  other  dis- 
eases creep,  but  insanity  pounces  on  a  man  :  which  he 
expressed  thus  neatly :  "  That  other  deviations  from 
organic  conditions  of  health  are  the  subject  of  clearly 
defined  though  delicate  gradations,  but  that  the  worst 
and  most  climacteric  forms  of  cerebro-psychical  dis- 
order are  suddenly  developed  affections  presenting  no 
evidence  of  any  antecedent  cephalic  organic  change,  and 
unaccompanied  by  a  premonitory  stage,  or  by  incipient 
symptoms." 

This  chimera  h  proceeded  to  confute,  by  experience : 
he  had  repeatedly  been  called  in  to  cases  of  mania  de- 
scribed as  sudden,  and  almost  invariably  found  the 
patient  had  been  cranky  for  years ;  which  he  condensed 
thus :  "  His  conduct  and  behavior  for  many  years  pre- 
viously to  anj  symptom  of  mental  aberration  being 
noticed,  lina  been  characterized  by  actions  quite  irrec- 
oncilable with  the  supposition  of  the  existence  of  per- 
fect sanity  of  intellect." 

He  instanced  a  parson,  whom  he  had  lately  attended, 


HARD   CASH.  401 

and  found  him  as  constipated,  and  as  convinced  he  was 
John  the  Baptist  engaged  to  the  Princess  Mary,  as  could 
be.  "  But,"  continued  the  learned  doctor,  "upon  investi- 
gation of  this  afflicted  ecclesiastic's  antecedent  history, 
I  discovered  that,  for  years  before  this,  he  had  exhibited 
conduct  incompatible  with  the  hypothesis  of  a  mind 
whose  equilibrium  had  been  undisturbed :  he  had  caused 
a  number  of  valuable  trees  to  be  cut  down  on  his  estate, 
without  being  able  to  offer  a  sane  justification  for  such 
an  outrageous  proceeding :  and  had  actually  disposed  of 
a  quantity  of  his  patrimonial  acres,  ^  and  which^  clearly 
he  never  would  have  parted  with  had  he  been  in  anything 
resembling  a  condition  of  sanity." 

'■'  Did  he  sell  the  land  and  timber  below  the  market 
price  ?  "  inquired  Mr.  Hardie,  perking  up,  and  exhibit- 
ing his  first  symptom  of  interest  in  the  discussion. 

"On  that  head,  sir,  my  informant,  his  heir-at-law,  gave 
me  no  information  :  nor  did  I  enter  into  that  class  of 
detail ;  you  naturally  look  at  morbid  phenomena  in  a 
commercial  spirit,  but  we  regard  them  medically;  and, 
all  this  time,  most  assiduously  visiting  the  sick  of  his 
parish  and  preaching  admirable  sermons." 

The  next  instance  he  gave  was  of  a  stockbroker  suffer- 
ing under  general  paralysis  and  a  rooted  idea  that  all  the 
specie  in  the  Bank  of  England  was  his,  and  ministers  in 
league  with  foreign  governments  to  keep  him  out  of  it. 
"Him,"  said  the  doctor,  "I  discovered  to  have  been  for 
years  guilty  of  conduct  entirely  incompatible  with  the 
hypothesis  of  undisordered  mental  functions.  He  had 
accused  his  domestics  of  peculation,  and  had  initiated 
legal  proceedings  with  a  view  of  prosecuting  in  a  court 
of  law  one  of  his  oldest  friends." 

"  Whence  you  infer  that,  if  my  son  has  not  for  years 
been  doing  cranky  acts,  he  is  not  likely  to  be  deranged 
at  present." 
26 


402  HARD  CASH. 

This  adroit  twist  of  the  argument  rather  surprised  Dr, 
Wycherley.  However,  he  was  at  no  loss  for  a  reply. 
"  It  is  not  insanity,  but  the  incubation  of  insanity,  which 
is  suspected  in  your  intelligent  son's  case :  and  the  best 
course  will  be  for  me  to  enumerate  in  general  terms  the 
several  symptoms  of  'the  incubation  of  insanity:'"  he 
concluded  with  some  severity,  "after  that,  sir,  I  shall 
cease  to  intrude  what  I  fear  is  an  unwelcome  convic- 
tion." 

The  parent,  whose  levity  and  cold  reception  of  good 
tidings  he  had  thus  mildly,  y  t  with  due  dignity,  rebuked, 
was  a  man  of  the  world :  and  liked  to  make  friends,  not 
enemies :  so  he  took  the  hint,  and  made  a  very  civil 
speech,  assuring  Dr.  Wycherley  that,  if  he  ventured  to 
differ  from  him,  he  was  none  the  less  obliged  by  the 
kind  interest  he  took  in  a  comparative  stranger :  and 
would  be  very  glad  to  hear  all  about  the  "  incubation  of 
insanity." 

Dr.  Wycherley  bowed  slightly ;  and  complied  :  — 

"  One  diagnostic  preliminary  sign  of  abnormal  cerebral 
action  is  kephalalgia,  or  true  cerebral  headache  ;  I  mean 
persistent  headache  not  accompanied  by  a  furred  tongue, 
or  other  indicia  significant  of  abdominal  or  renal  dis- 
order as  its  origin." 

Jane  sighed.     "  He  had  sad  headaches." 

"The  succeeding  symptom  is  a  morbid  affection  of 
sleep.  Either  the  patient  suffers  from  insomnia;  or  else 
from  hypersomnia,  which  we  sub-divide  into  sopor, 
earns,  and  lethargus;  or  thirdly  from  kakosomnia,  or  a 
propensity  to  mere  dozing,  and  to  all  the  morbid  phe- 
nomena of  dreams." 

"Papa,"  said  Jane,  "poor  Alfred  sleeps  very  badly:  I 
hear  him  walking  at  all  hours  of  the  night." 

"I  thought  as  much,"  said  Dr.  Wycherley  ;  "insomnia 
is  the  commonest  feature.     To   resume :   the   insidious 


HARD   CASH.  403 

advance  of  morbid  thought  is  next  marked  by  high 
spirits,  or  else  by  low  spirits ;  generally  the  latter.  The 
patient  begins  by  moping,  then  shows  great  lassitude  and 
ennui,  then  becomes  abstracted,  moody,  and  occupied 
with  a  solitary  idea." 

Jane  clasped  her  hands,  and  the  tears  stood  in  her 
eyes  ;  so  well  did  this  description  tally  with  poor  Alfred's 
case. 

"And  at  this  period,"  continued  Dr.  Wycherley,  "my 
experience  leads  me  to  believe  that  some  latent  delusion 
is  generally  germinating  in  the  mind,  though  often  con- 
cealed with  consummate  craft  by  the  patient :  the  open 
development  of  this  delusion  is  the  next  stage,  and, 
with  this  last  morbid  phenomenon,  incubation  ceases  and 
insanity  begins.  Sometimes,  however,  the  illusion  is 
physical  rather  than  psychical,  of  the  sense  rather  than 
of  the  intelligence.  It  commences  at  night :  the  incu- 
bator begins  by  seeing  nocturnal  visions,  often  of  a 
photopsic  ^  character,  or  hearing  nocturnal  sounds,  neither 
of  which  have  any  material  existence,  being  conveyed  to 
his  optic  or  auricular  nerves  not  from  without,  but  from 
Avithin,  by  the  agency  of  a  disordered  brain.  These  the 
reason,  hitherto  unimpaired,  combats  at  first,  especially 
when  they  are  nocturnal  only  :  but  being  reproduced,  and 
becoming  diurnal,  the  judgment  succumbs  under  the 
morbid  impression  produced  so  repeatedly.  These  are 
the  ordinary  antecedent  S3-mptoms  characteristic  of  the 
incubation  of  insanity ;  to  which  are  frequently  added 
somatic  exaltation,  or,  in  popular  language,  ph3-sical 
excitability — a  disposition  to  knit  the  brows  —  great 
activity  of  the  mental  faculties  —  or  else  a  well-marked 
decline  of  the  powers  of  the  understanding  —  an  exag- 
geration of  the  normal  conditions  of  thought  —  or  a 
reversal  of  the  mental  habits  and   sentiments,  such  as 

>  Luminous. 


404  HARD   CASH. 

a  sudden  aversion  to  some  person  hitherto  beloved,  or 
some  study  long  relished  and  pursued." 

Jane  asked  leave  to  note  these  all  down  in  her  note-book. 

]\Ir.  Hardie  assented  adroitly ;  for  he  was  thinking 
whether  he  could  not  sift  some  grain  out  of  all  this 
chaff.  Should  Alfred  blab  his  suspicions,  here  were  two 
gentlemen  who  would  at  all  events  help  him  to  throw 
ridicule  on  them. 

Dr.  Wycherley,  having  politely  aided  Jane  Hardie  to 
note  down  "  the  preliminary  process  of  the  incubation 
of  disorders  of  the  intellect,"  resumed:  "Now,  sir, your 
son  appears  to  be  in  a  very  inchoate  stage  of  the  malady : 
he  has  cerebral  kephalalgia  and  insomnia"  — 

"  And,  oh,  doctor,"  said  Jane,  "  he  knits  his  brows 
often ;  and  has  given  up  his  studies  ;  won't  go  back  to 
Oxford  this  term." 

"  Exactly ;  and  seeks  isolation,  and  is  a  pre}'  to  morbid 
distraction  and  reverie:  but  has  no  palpable  illusions; 
has  he  ?  " 

'"■Not  that  I  know  of,"  said  Mr.  Hardie. 

'•Well,  but,"  objected  Jane,  "did  not  he  say  something 
to  you  very  curious  the  other  night ;  about  Captain  Dodd 
and  fourteen  thousand  pounds  ?  " 

Mr.  Hardie's  blood  ran  cold":  "Xo,"  he  stammered, 
"not  that  I  remember." 

''  Oh,  yes,  he  did,  papa :  you  have  forgotten  it :  but 
at  the  time  you  were  quite  puzzled  what  he  could  mean : 
and  you  did  so."  She  put  her  finger  to  her  forehead :  and 
the  doctors  interchanged  a  meaning  glance. 

"I  believe  you  are  right,  Jenny,"  said  j\[r.  Hardie, 
taking  the  cue  so  unexpectedly  offered  him  :  '•  he  did 
say  some  nonsense  I  could  not  make  head  nor  tail  of; 
but  we  all  have  our  crotchets ;  there,  run  away,  like  a 
good  girl,  and  let  me  explain  all  this  to  our  good  friends 
here :  and  mind,  not  a  word  about  it  to  Alfred." 


HARD   CASH.  405 

When  she  was  goue,  he  said,  "Gentlemen,  my  son  is 
over  head  and  ears  in  love ;  that  is  all." 

"Ay,  erotic  monomania  is  a  very  ordinary  phase  of 
insanity,"  said  Dr.  Wycherley. 

"His  unreasonable  i)assion  for  a  girl  he  knows  he  can 
never  marry  makes  him  somewhat  crotchety  and  cranky  : 
that,  and  over-study,  may  have  uuhinged  his  mind  a 
little  :  suppose  I  send  him  abroad  ?  my  good  brother  will 
hud  the  means ;  or  we  could  advance  it  him,  I  and  the 
other  trustees ;  he  comes  into  ten  thousand  pounds  in  a 
month  or  two." 

The  doctors  exchanged  a  meaning  look.  They  then 
dissuaded  him  earnestly  from  the  idea  of  Continental 
travel. 

"  Cculum  non  animam  mutant  qui  trans  mare  currunt^^ 
said  Wycherley,  and  Osmond  explained  that  Alfred  would 
brood  abroad  as  Avell  as  at  home,  if  he  went  alone :  and 
Dr.  Wycherley  summed  up  thus :  "  The  most  advisable 
course  is  to  give  him  the  benefit  of  the  personal  superin- 
tendence of  some  skilful  physician  possessed  of  means 
and  appliances  of  every  sort  for  soothing  and  restraining 
the  specific  malady." 

Mr.  Ha'rdie  did  not  at  first  see  the  exact  purport  of 
this  oleaginous  periphrasis.  Presently  he  caught  a 
glimpse :  but  said  he  thought  confinement  was  hardly 
the  thing  to  drive  away  melancholy. 

"  Not  in  all  respects,"  replied  Dr.  Wyeherly  :  "  but, 
on  the  other  hand,  a  little  gentle  restraint  is  the  safest 
way  of  effecting  ,a  disruption  of  the  fatal  associations 
that  have  engendered  and  tend  to  perpetuate  the  disorder. 
Besides,  the  medicinal  appliances  are  invaluable ;  includ- 
ing, as  they  do,  the  nocturnal  and  diurnal  attendance  of 
a  psycho-physical  physician,  who  knows  the  psycho-so- 
matic relation  of  body  and  mind,  and  can  apply  ])hysical 
remedies,  of  the  effect  of  which  on  the  physical  iustru- 


406  HARD  CASH. 

ment  of  intelligence,  the  gray  matter  of  the  brain,  we 
have  seen  so  many  examples." 

The  good  doctor  then  feelingly  deplored  the  inhu- 
manity of  parents  and  guardians  in  declining  to  subject 
their  incubators  to  opportune  and  salutary  restraint  under 
the  more  than  parental  care  of  a  psycho-somatic  physi- 
cian. On  this  head  he  got  quite  warm,  and  inveighed 
against  the  abominable  cruelty  of  the  thing.  "  It  is 
contrary,"  said  he,  "to  every  principle  of  justice  and 
humanit}^,  tliat  a  fellow-creature,  deranged  perhaps  only 
on  one  point,  should  for  the  want  of  the  early  attention 
of  those,  whose  duty  it  is  to  watch  over  him,  linger  out 
his  existence  separated  from  all  who  are  dear  to  him, 
and  condemned  without  any  crime  to  be  a  prisoner  for 
life." 

Mr.  Hardie  was  puzzled  by  this  sentence,  in  which  the 
speaker's  usual  method  was  reversed,  and  the  thought  was 
bigger  than  the  words. 

"Oh,"  said  he  at  last,  "I  see.  We  ought  to  incar- 
cerate our  children  to  keep  them  from  being  incarcer- 
ated." 

"  That  is  one  way  of  putting  it  with  a  vengeance," 
said  Mr.  Osmond,  staring.  "  Ko  ;  what  my  good  friend 
means  "  — 

"Is  this  ;  where  the  patient  is  possessor  of  an  income 
of  such  a  character  as  to  enable  his  friends  to  show  a 
sincere  affection  by  anticipating  the  consequences  of 
neglected  morbid  phenomena  of  the  brain,  there  a  lament- 
able want  of  humanity  is  exhibited  by  the  persistent 
refusal  to  the  patient,  on  the  part  of  his  relatives,  of 
the  incalculable  advantage  of  the  authoritative  advice 
of  a  competent  physician  accompanied  with  the  safe- 
guards and  preventives  of  "  — 

But  ere  the  mellifluous  pleonast  had  done  oiling  his 
paradox  with  fresh  polysyllables,  to  make  it  slip  into  the 


HARD   CASH.  407 

banker's  navroAv  understanding,  he  met  with  a  curious 
interruption.  Jane  Hardie  fluttered  in  to  say  a  man 
"was  at  the  door  accusing  himself  of  being  deranged. 

"  How  often  this  sort  of  coincidence  occurs/'  said 
Osmond,  philosophically. 

"Do  not  refuse  him,  dear  papa;  it  is  not  for  money  ; 
he  only  wants  you  to  give  him  an  order  to  go  into  a 
lunatic  asylum." 

"Note,  there  is  a  sensible  man,^'  said  Dr.  "Wycherley, 

"AVell,  but,"  objected  Mr.  Hardie,  "if  he  is  a  sensible 
man,  why  does  he  want  to  go  to  an  asylum  ?  " 

"Oh,  they  are  all  sensible  at  times,"  observed  Mr. 
Osmond. 

"  Singularly  so,"  said  Dr.  Wycherley,  warmly.  And  he 
showed  a  desire  to  examine  this  paragon,  who  had  the 
sense  to  know  he  was  out  of  his  senses. 

"  It  would  be  but  kind  of  you,  sir,"  said  Jane  ;  "poor, 
poor  man  !  "  She  added,  he  did  not  like  to  come  in,  and 
would  they  mind  just  going  out  to  him  ? 

"  Oh,  no,  not  in  the  least ;  especially  as  you  seem 
interested  in  him." 

And  they  all  three  rose  and  went  out  together,  and 
found  the  petitioner  at  the  front  door.  Who  should  it 
be  but  James  ^faxley  I 

His  beard  was  unshaven,  his  face  haggard,  and  every- 
thing about  him  showed  a  man  broken  in  spirit  as  well 
as  fortune  ;  even  his  voice  had  lost  half  its  vigor,  and, 
whenever  he  had  uttered  a  consecutive  sentence  or  two, 
his  head  dropped  on  his  breast,  pitiably  ;  indeed,  this 
sometimes  occurred  in  the  middle  of  a  sentence,  and 
then  the  rest  of  it  died  on  his  lips. 

Mr.  Richard  Hardie  was  not  prepared  to  encounter  one 
of  his  unhappy  creditors  thus  publicly,  and,  to  shorten 
the  annoyance,  would  have  dismissed  him  roughly ;  but 
he   dared  not ;    for  IVIaxley  was  no   longer  alone,  nor 


408  HARD   CASH. 

unfriended ;  when  Jane  left  him,  to  intercede  for  him,  a 
young  man  joined  him,  and  was  now  comforting  him 
with  kind  words,  and  trying  to  get  him  to  smoke  a  cigar; 
and  this  good-hearted  young  gentleman  was  the  banker's 
son  in  the  flesh,  and  his  opposite  in  spirit,  Mr.  Alfred 
Hardie. 

Finding  these  two  in  contact,  the  doctors  interchanged 
demurest  glances. 

Mr.  Hardie  asked  Maxley  sullenly  what  he  wanted  of 
them. 

"  Well,  sir,"  said  Maxley,  despondingly,  "  I  have  been 
to  all  the  other  magistrates  in  the  borough ;  for  what 
with  losing  my  money,  and  what  with  losing  my  missus, 
I  think  I  bain't  quite  right  in  my  head ;  I  do  see  such 
curious  things,  enough  to  make  a  body's  skin  creep  at 
times."     And  down  went  his  head  on  his  chest. 

"  Well  ?  "  said  INIr.  Hardie,  peevishly  ;  "  go  on ;  you 
went  to  the  magistrates,  and  what  then  ?  " 

Maxley  looked  up,  and  seemed  to  recover  the  thread ; 
"  Why,  they  said  *  no,'  they  couldn't  send  me  to  the 
'sylum,  not  from  home ;  I  must  be  a  pauper  first.  So 
then  my  neiglibors  they  said  I  had  better  come  to  you." 
And  down  went  his  head  again, 

*'  Well,  but,"  said  jNIr.  Hardie,  '-you  cannot  expect  me 
to  go  against  the  other  magistrates." 

"  Why  not,  sir  ?  You  have  had  a  hatful  o'  money  of 
me ;  the  other  gentlemen  hain't  had  a  farthing.  They 
owes  me  no  service,  but  you  does  ;  nine  hundred  pounds' 
worth  if  ye  come  to  that." 

There  was  no  malice  in  this  ;  it  was  a  plain  broken- 
hearted man's  notion  of  give  and  take ;  but  it  was  a 
home-thrust  all  the  same ;  and  Mr,  Hardie  was  visibly 
discountenanced,  and  Alfred  more  so. 

Mr.  Osmond,  to  relieve  a  situation  so  painful,  asked 
Maxley  rather  hastily  what  were  the  curious  things  he 
saw. 


HARD   CASH.  409 

Maxley  shuddered.  "  Tlie  unreasonablest  beasts,  sir, 
you  ever  saw  or  heard  tell  on ;  mostly  snakes  and 
dragons.  Can't  stoop  my  head  to  do  no  work,  for  them, 
sir.  Bless  your  heart,  if  I  was  to  leave  you  gentlemen 
now,  and  go  and  dig  for  live  minutes  in  my  garden,  they 
would  come  about  me  as  thick  as  slugs  on  cabbage  ;  why, 
'twas  but  yestere'en  I  tried  to  hoe  a  bit,  and  up  come  the 
fearfullest  great  fiery  sarpint ;  scared  me  so,  I  heaved  my 
hoe  and  laid  on  un'  properly ;  presently  1  seemed  to  come 
out  of  a  sort  of  a  kind  of  a  red  mist  into  the  clear ;  and 
there  laid  my  poor  missus's  favorite  hen ;  I  had  been 
and  killed  her  for  a  sarpint !"  He  sighed;  then,  after  a 
moment's  pause,  lowered  his  voice  to  a  whisper,  "  Now 
suppose  I  was  to  go  and  take  some  poor  Christian  for 
one  of  these  gre-at  bloody  dragons  I  do  see  at  odd  times, 
I  might  do  him  a  mischief,  you  know,  and  not  mean  him 
no  harm  neither.  Oh,  dooee  take  and  have  me  locked 
up,  gentlemen,  dooee  now  :  tellee  I  ain't  fit  to  be  about, 
my  poor  head  is  so  mazed." 

"  Well,  well,"  said  Mr.  Hardie,  "  I'll  give  you  an  order 
for  the  union." 

"  What,  make  a  pauper  of  me  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  help  it,"  said  the  magistrate  ;  "  it  is  the 
routine  ;  and  it  was  settled  at  a  meeting  of  the  bench 
last  month  that  we  must  adhere  to  the  rule  as  strictly  as 
possible  ;  the  asylum  is  so  full ;  and  you  know,  Maxley, 
it  is  not  as  if  you  were  dangerous." 

"That  I  be,  sir;  I  don't  know  what  I'm  a-looking  at, 
or  a-doing.  Would  I  ha'  gone  and  killed  my  poor 
Susan's  hen  if  I  hadn't  a  been  beside  myself  ?  and  she 
in  her  grave,  poor  dear ;  no,  not  for  untold  gold ;  and  I 
be  fond  of  that  too ;  used  to  be,  however ;  but  now  I  don't 
seem  to  care  for  money  nor  nothing  else."  And  his  head 
dropped. 

"Look  here,  Maxley,  old  fellow,"  said  Alfred,  sarcas 


410  HARD   CASH. 

tically,  "  you  must  go  to  the  workhouse  ;  and  stay  there 
till  you  hoe  a  pauper ;  take  him  for  a  crocodile,  and  kill 
him  ;  then  you  will  get  into  an  asylum,  whether  the 
Barkington  magistrates  like  it  or  not ;  that  is  the 
routine,  I  believe ;  and  as  reasonable  as  most  routine." 

Dr.  Wycherley  admired  Alfred  for  this,  and  whispered 
]\Ir.  Osmond,  "  How  subtly  they  reason  !" 

Mr.  Hardie  did  not  deign  to  answer  his  son,  who 
indeed  had  spoken  at  him,  and  not  to  him. 

As  for  poor  Maxley,  he  was  in  sad  and  sober  earnest, 
and  could  not  relish  nor  even  take  in  Alfred's  irony  ;  he 
lifted  his  head  and  looked  Mr.  Hardie  in  the  face. 

"  You  be  a  hard  man,"  said  he,  trembling  with  emotion. 
"  You  robbed  me  and  my  missus  of  our  all,  you  ha' 
broke  her  heart,  and  turned  my  head,  and  if  I  was  to 
come  and  kill  you  'twould  only  be  clearing  scores. 
'Stead  of  that  I  comes  to  you  like  a  lamb,  and  says,  give 
me  your  name  on  a  bit  of  paper,  and  put  me  out  of 
harm's  way.  '  No,'  says  you,  '  go  to  the  workhouse  ! ' 
Be  you  in  the  workhouse  ?  You  that  owes  me  nine  hun- 
dred pounds  and  my  dead  missus  ?  "  With  this  he  went 
into  a  rage,  took  a  packet  out  of  his  pocket,  and  flung 
nine  hundred  pounds  of  Mr.  Hardie's  paper  at  Mr. 
Hardie's  head  before  any  one  could  stop  him. 

But  Alfred  saw  his  game,  stepped  forward,  and  caught 
it  with  one  hand,  and  with  the  dexterity  of  a  wicket- 
keeper,  within  a  foot  of  his  father's  nose.  "How's  that, 
umpire  ?  "  said  he  ;  then,  a  little  sternlv,  "  Don't  do  that 
again,  Mr.  Maxley,  or  I  shall  have  to  give  you  a  hiding 
—  to  keep  up  appearances."  He  then  put  the  notes  in 
his  pocket,  and  said  quietly,  "/  shall  give  you  your 
money  for  these,  before  the  year  ends." 

"  You  won't  be  quite  so  mad  as  that,  I  hope,"  remon- 
strated his  father.  But  he  made  no  reply  ;  they  \ev^ 
seldom  answered  one  another  now. 


HARD   CASH.  411 

"Oh,"  said  Dr.  Wyclierley,  inspecting  liim  like  a 
human  curiosity,  ^^  nullum  maynuni  inf/enlum  sine  mix- 
turd  dementice.'' 

^^  Nee  parvum  sine  mixturd  stultitice,^'  retorted  Alfred 
in  a  moment ;  and  met  his  offensive  gaze  with  a  point- 
blank  look  of  supercilious  disdain. 

Then  having  shut  him  up,  he  turned  to  Osmond. 
"  Come,"  said  he,  "  prescribe  for  this  poor  fellow,  who 
asks  for  a  hospital,  so  routine  gives  him  a  workhouse  ; 
come,  you  know  there  is  no  limit  to  your  skill  and  good- 
nature ;  you  cured  Spot  of  the  worms,  cure  poor  old 
Maxley  of  his  snakes  ;  oblige  me." 

'•  That  I  will,  Mr.  Alfred,"  said  Osmond,  heartil}- ;  and 
wrote  a  prescription  on  a  leaf  of  his  memorandum-book, 
remarking  that,  though  a  simple  purgative,  it  had  made 
short  work  of  a  great  many  serpents  and  dragons,  and 
not  a  few  spectres  and  hobgoblins  into  the  bargain. 

The  young  gentleman  thanked  him  graciously,  and 
said  kindly  to  Maxley,  '•'  Get  that  made  up  —  here's  a 
guinea  —  and  I'll  send  somebody  to  see  how  you  are 
to-morrow." 

The  poor  man  took  the  guinea  and  the  prescription, 
and  his  head  drooped  again,  and  he  slouched  away. 

Dr.  Wycherley  remarked  significantly  that  his  conduct 
was  worth  imitating  by  all  persons  similarly  situated  ; 
and  concluded  oracularly,  "  Prophylaxis  is  preferable  to 
therapeusis." 

"  Or,  as  Porson  would  say,  '  Prevention  is  better  than 
cure.' " 

With  this  parting  blow  the  Oxonian  suddenly  saun- 
tered away,  unconscious,  it  seemed,  of  the  existence  of 
his  companions. 

"  I  never  saw  a  plainer  case  of  incubation,"  remarked 
Dr.  Wycherley  with  vast  benevolence  of  manner. 

"  Maxley 's  ?  " 


412  HARD   CASH. 

''  Oh,  no ;  that  is  parochial.  It  is  your  profoundly 
interesting  son  I  alluded  to.  Did  you  notice  his  super- 
cilious departure  ?    And  his  morbid  celerity  of  repartee  ?  " 

Mr.  Hardie  replied  Avith  some  little  hesitation,  "  Yes  ; 
and,  excuse  me,  I  thought  he  had  rather  the  best  of  the 
battle  with  you." 

''  Indubitably  so,"  replied  Dr.  Wycherley ;  "  they 
always  do  ;  at  least,  svich  is  my  experience.  If  ever  I 
break  a  lance  of  wit  with  an  incubator,  I  calculate  with 
confidence  on  being  unhorsed  with  abnormal  rapidity  ; 
and  rare,  indeed,  are  the  instances  in  which  my  antici- 
pations are  not  promptly  and  fully  realized;  by  a  similar 
rule  of  progression  the  incubator  is  seldom  a  match  for 
the  confirmed  maniac,  either  in  the  light  play  of  sar- 
casm, the  coruscations  of  wit,  or  the  severer  encounters 
of  dialectical  ratiocination." 

"Dear,  dear,  dear !  Then  how  is  one  to  know  a  genius 
from  a  madman  ?  "  inquired  Jane. 

"  By  sending  for  a  psychological  j^hysician.''^ 

"  If  I  understand  the  doctor  right,  the  two  things  are 
not  opposed,"  remarked  Mr.  Hardie. 

Dr.  Wycherley  assented,  and  made  a  remarkable  state- 
ment in  confirmation  :  "One  half  of  the  aggregate  of  the 
genius  of  the  country  is  at  present  under  restraint ; 
fortunately  for  the  community;  and  still  more  fortu- 
nately for  itself." 

He  then  put  on  his  gloves,  and,  with  much  kindness 
but  solemnity,  warned  Mr.  Hardie  not  to  neglect  his 
son's  case,  nor  to  suppose  that  matters  could  go  on  like 
this  without  "disintegrating  or  disorganizing  the  gray 
matter  of  the  brain."  "I  admit,"  said  he,  "that  in  some 
recorded  cases  of  insanity  the  brain  on  dissection  has 
revealed  no  signs  of  structural  or  functional  derange- 
ment, and  that,  on  the  other  hand,  considerable  ence- 
phalic disorganization  has  been  shown  to  have  existed  in 


HARD  CASH.  413 

other  cases  without  aberration  or  impairment  of  the 
reason  :  but  such  phenomena  are  to  be  considered  as 
pathological  curiosities,  with  which  the  empiric  would 
fain  endeavor  to  disturb  the  sound  general  conclusions 
of  science.  The  only  safe  mode  of  reasoning  on  matters 
so  delicate  and  profound  is  a  priori;  and,  as  it  may 
safeh^  be  assumed  as  a  self-evident  proposition,  that  dis- 
turbed intelligence  bears  the  same  relation  to  the  brain 
as  disordered  respiration  does  to  the  lungs,  it  is  not 
logical,  reasoning  a  priori,  to  assume  the  possibility  that 
the  studious  or  other  mental  habits  of  a  kephalalgic,  and 
gifted,  youth,  can  be  reversed,  and  erotic  monomania 
germinate,  with  all  the  morbid  phenomena  of  isolation, 
dejection  of  the  spirits,  and  abnormal  exaltation  of  the 
powers  of  wit  and  ratiocination,  without  some  consider- 
able impairment,  derangement,  disturbance,  or  modifica- 
tion, of  the  psychical,  motorial,  and  sensorial  functions 
of  the  great  cerebral  ganglion.  But  it  would  be  equally 
absurd  to  presuppose  that  these  several  functions  can  be 
disarranged  for  months,  without  more  or  less  disorgani- 
zation of  the  medullary,  or  even  of  the  cineritious,  matter 
of  the  encephalon.  Therefore  —  dissection  of  your 
talented  son  would  doubtless  reveal  at  this  moment 
either  steatomatous  or  atheromatous  dej^osits  in  the 
cerebral  blood-vessels,  or  an  encysted  abscess,  probably 
of  no  very  recent  origin,  or,  at  the  least,  considerable 
inspissation,  and  opacity,  of  the  membranes  of  the 
encephalon,  or  more  or  less  pulpy  disorganization  of 
one  or  other  of  the  hemispheres  of  the  brain  ;  good- 
morning !  " 

"  Good-morning,  sir ;  and  a  thousand  thanks  for  your 
friendly  interest  in  my  unhappy  boy." 

The  psycho-cerebrals  "  took  their  departure  "  (psycho- 
cerebral  for  "  went  away  "),  and  left  Jane  Hardie  brim- 
ful of  anxiety.     Alfred  was  not  there  to  dispose  of  the 


414  HARD  CASH. 

tirade  in  two  words,  '' Petltlo  jir'incipil"  and  so  smoke 
on  :  and,  not  being  an  university  woman,  she  could  not 
keep  her  eye  on  the  original  assumption  while  following 
the  series  of  inferences  the  learned  doctor  built  so 
neatly,  story  by  story,  on  the  foundation  of  the  quick- 
sand o/a  loose  conjecture.* 

"Now  not  a  word  of  this  to  Alfred,"  said  ISIr.  Hardie. 
"  I  shall  propose  him  a  little  foreign  tour,  to  amuse  his 
mind." 

"Yes,  but,  papa,  if  some  serious  change  is  really 
going  on  inside  his  poor  head  ?  " 

Mr.  Hardie  smiled  sarcastically.  "  Don't  you  see  that 
if  the  mind  can  wound  the  brain,  the  mind  can  cure  it  ?  " 
Then,  after  awhile,  he  said  parentally,  "My  child,  I 
must  give  you  a  lesson  :  men  of  the  Avorld  use  enthusi- 
asts, like  those  two  I  have  just  been  drawing  out,  for 
their  tools ;  we  don't  let  them  make  tools  of  us.  Os- 
mond, you  know,  is  jackal  to  an  asylum  in  London.  Dr. 
Wycherley,  I  have  heard,  keeps  two  or  three  such  estab- 
lishments by  himself  or  his  agents,  blinded  by  self- 
interest  and  that  of  their  clique.  What  an  egotistical 
world  it  is,  to  be  sure !  They  would  confine  a  melan- 
choly youth  in  a  gloomy  house,  among  afflicted  persons, 
and  give  him  nothing  to  do  but  brood,  and  so  turn  the 
scale  against  his  reason  ;  but  /  have  my  children's  inter- 
est at  heart  more  than  my  own.  I  shall  send  him  abroad, 
and  so  amuse  his  mind  with  fresh  objects,  break  off  sad 

1  So  novices  sitting  at  a  conjuror  see  him  take  a  wedding-ring,  and  put  it  in 
a  little  box  before  a  lady;  then  cross  the  theatre  with  another  little  box,  and 
put  tliat  before  another  lady.  "  Hey  presto!  pass!  "  in  box  2  is  discovered  a 
wedding-ring,  which  is  instantly  ««»;/;?!?(/  to  be  tlw  ring;  on  this  the  green 
minds  are  fixed,  and  with  this  is  sham  business  done.  Box  1,  containing  the 
real  ring  all  the  time,  is  overlooked ;  and  the  confederate,  in  livery  or  not,  docs 
what  he  likes  with  it ;  imprisons  it  in  an  orange  —for  the  good  of  its  health. 

So  poor  Argan,  when  Fleurant  enumerates  tlie  consequences  of  his  omitting 
a  single  —  dose  shall  I  say  ?  —  is  terrified  by  the  threatened  disorders,  which 
succeed  to  each  other  logically  enough  :  all  the  absurdity  being  in  thctirst  link 
of  the  chain;  and  from  that  his  mind  is  diverted. 


fiARD   CASH.  415 

associations,  and  restore  him  to  a  brilliant  career.  I 
count  on  you  to  second  me  in  my  little  scheme  for  his 
good." 

"ThatlAvill,  papa." 

"Somehow,  I  don't  know  why,  he  is  coolish  to  me." 

"  He  does  not  understand  3'ou  as  I  do,  my  own  papa." 

"But  he  is  affectionate  with  you,  I  think.'' 

"  Oh,  yes,  more  than  ever  :  trouble  has  drawn  us  closer. 
Papa,  in  the  midst  of  our  sorrow,  how  much  we  have  to 
be  thankful  for  to  the  Giver  of  all  good  things  !  " 

"Yes,  little  angel;  and  you  must  improve  Heaven's 
goodness  by  working  on  your  brother's  affection,  and 
persuading  him  to  this  Continental  tour." 

Thus  appealed  to,  Jane  promised  warmly  ;  and  the 
man  of  the  world,  finding  he  had  a  blind  and  willing 
instrument  in  the  one  creature  he  loved,  kissed  her  on 
the  forehead,  and  told  her  to  run  away,  for  here  was  JNIr. 
Skinner,  who  no  doubt  wanted  to  speak  on  business. 

Skinner,  who  had  in  fact  been  holding  respectfully 
aloof  for  some  time,  came  forward  on  Jane's  retiring, 
and  in  a  very  obsequious  tone  requested  a  private  inter- 
view. Mr.  Hardie  led  the  way  into  the  little  dining- 
room. 

They  w'ere  no  sooner  alone  than  Skinner  left  off  fawn- 
ing, very  abruptly,  and  put  on  a  rugged,  resolute  manner 
that  was  new  to  him.  "I  am  come  for  my  commission," 
said  he  sturdily. 

i\[r.  Hardie  looked  an  inquiry. 

"Oh,  you  don't  know  what  I  mean,  of  course,"  said 
the  little  clerk,  almost  brutally.  "I've  waited,  and 
waited,  to  see  if  you  would  have  the  decency,  and  the 
gratitude,  and  the  honesty,  to  offer  me  a  trifle  out  of  it ; 
but  I  see  I  might  wait  till  doomsday  before  you  would 
ever  think  of  thinking  of  anybody  but  yourself.  So 
now  shell  out  without  more  words,  or  I'll  blow  the  gaff." 


41g  HARD   CASH. 

The  little  wretch  raised  his  voice  louder  and  louder  at 
every  sentence. 

"  Hush  !  hush  !  Skinner,"  said  Mr.  Hardie  anxiously, 
"  you  are  under  some  delusion.  When  did  I  ever  decline 
to  recognize  your  services  ?  I  always  intended  to  make 
you  a  present,  a  handsome  present." 

"  Then  why  didn't  ye  do  it  without  being  forced  ? 
Come,  sir,  you  can't  draw  the  wool  over  Noah  Skinner's 
eyes  :  I  have  had  you  watched,  and  you  are  looking 
towards  the  United  States,  and  that  is  too  big  a  country 
for  me  to  hunt  you  in.  I'm  not  to  be  trifled  with :  I'm 
not  to  be  palavered :  give  me  a  thousand  pounds  of  it 
this  moment,  or  I'll  blow  the  whole  concern,  and  you 
along  with  it." 

"  A  thousand  pounds  ?  " 

"  Now  look  at  that !  "  shrieked  Skinner.  "  Serves  me 
right  for  not  saying  seven  thousand.  What  right  have 
you  to  a  shilling  of  it  more  than  I  have  ?  If  I  had  the 
luck  to  be  a  burglar's  pal  instead  of  a  banker's,  I  should 
have  half.  Give  it  me  this  moment,  or  I'll  go  to  Albion 
Villa  and  have  you  took  up  for  a  thief,  as  you  are." 

"  But  I  haven't  got  it  on  me." 

"That's  a  lie:  you  carry  it  where  he,  did,  close  to 
your  heart :  I  can  see  it  bulge  ;  there.  Job  was  a  patient 
man,  but  his  patience  went  at  last."  With  this  he  ran 
to  the  window  and  threw  it  open. 

Hardie  entreated  him  to  be  calm.  "  I'll  give  it  you, 
Skinner,"  said  he,  "and  with  pleasure,  if  you  will  give 
me  some  security  that  you  will  not  turn  round,  as  soon 
as  you  have  got  it,  and  be  my  enemy." 

"Enemy  of  a  gent  that  pays  me  a  thousand  pounds  ? 
nonsense  !  Why  should  I  ?  We  are  in  the  same  boat  •, 
behave  like  a  man,  and  you  know  you  have  nothing  to 
fear  from  me ;  but  I  will  —  not  —  go  halves  in  a  theft 
for  nothing,  would  you  ?     Come,  how  is  it  to  be,  peace  or 


HARD   CASH.  417 

war  ?  Will  you  be  content  with  thirteen  thousand 
pounds  that  don't  belong  to  you,  not  a  shilling  of  it,  or 
will  you  go  to  jail  a  felon,  and  lose  it  every  penny  ?  " 

Mr.  Hardie  groaned  aloud,  but  there  was  no  help  for 
it.     Skinner  was  on  sale,  and  must  be  bought. 

He  took  out  two  notes  for  five  hundred  pounds  each, 
and  laid  them  on  the  table,  after  taking  their  numbers. 

Skinner's  eyes  glistened.  "  Thank  you,  sir,"  said  he. 
He  put  them  in  his  pocket.  Then  he  said  quietly,  "  Now 
you  have  taken  the  numbers,  sir,  so  I'll  trouble  you  for 
a  line  to  make  me  safe  against  the  criminal  law.  You 
are  a  deep  one  :  you  might  say  I  robbed  you." 

"  That  is  a  very  unworthy  suspicion.  Skinner,  and  a 
childish  one." 

"Oh,  it  is  diamond  cut  diamond.  A  single  line,  sir, 
just  to  say  that  in  return  for  his  faithful  services,  you 
have  given  Noah  Skinner  two  notes  for  five  hundred 
pounds,  Nos.  1084  and  85." 

"  With  all  my  heart,  on  your  giving  me  a  receipt  for 
them." 

It  was  Skinners  turn  to  hesitate.  After  reflecting, 
however,  on  all  the  possible  consequences,  he  saw  noth- 
ing to  fear,  so  he  consented. 

The  business  comj^leted,  a  magic  change  took  place  in 
the  little  clerk.  "  Now  we  are  friends  again,  sir,  and 
I'll  give  you  a  piece  of  advice  :  mind  your  eye  with  Mr. 
Alfred  :  he  is  down  on  us." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  inquired  Mr.  Hardie  with  ill- 
disguised  anxiety. 

"  I'll  tell  you,  sir.  He  met  me  this  morning,  and  says 
he  to  me,  '  Skinner,  old  boy,  I  want  to  speak  a  word  to 
you.'  He  puts  his  hands  on  my  shoulder,  and  turns 
me  round,  and  says  he  all  at  one  time,  '  The  fourteen 
thousand  pounds  ! '  You  might  have  knocked  me  down 
with  a  feather.  And  he  looked  me  through  like  a  gim- 
27 


418  HARD   CASH. 

let,  mind  ye.  'Come  now,'  says  he,  'you  see  I  know  all; 
make  a  clean  breast  of  it.'  So  then  I  saw  he  didn't 
know  all,  and  I  brazened  up  a  bit:  told  him  I  hadn't  a 
notion  what  he  meant.  'Oh,  yes,  I  did,'  he  said;  'Cap- 
tain Dodd's  fourteen  thousand  pounds !  It  had  passed 
through  my  hands.'  Then  I  began  to  funk  again  at 
his  knowing  that :  perhaps  he  only  guessed  it  after  all ; 
but  at  the  time  I  thought  he  knew  it :  I  was  flustered, 
ye  see.  But  I  said,  '  I'd  look  at  the  books,  but  I  didn't 
think  his  deposit  was  anything  like  that.' — 'You  little 
equivocating  humbug,'  says  he,  '  and  which  was  better, 
to  tell  the  truth  at  once  and  let  Captain  Dodd,  who 
never  did  me  any  harm,  have  his  own,  or  to  hear  it  told 
me  in  the  felon's  dock  ? '  Those  were  his  words,  sir, 
and  they  made  my  blood  run  cold ;  and  if  he  had  gone 
on  at  me  like  that,  I  should  have  split,  I  know  I  should, 
but  he  just  said,  '  There,  your  face  has  given  your 
tongue  the  lie:  you  haven't  brains  enough  to. play  the 
rogue.'  Oh,  and  another  thing:  he  said  he  wouldn't 
talk  to  the  sparrow-hawk  any  more,  when  there  was  the 
kite  hard  by,  so  by  that  I  guess  your  turn  is  coming,  sir, 
so  mind  your  eye.  And  then  he  turned  his  back  on  me 
with  a  look  as  if  I  was  so  much  dirt.  But  I  didn't 
mind  that:  I  was  glad  to  be  shut  of  him  at  any  price." 

This  intelligence  discomposed  Mr.  Hardie  terribly : 
it  did  away  with  all  hope  that  Alfred  meant  to  keep  his 
suspicions  to  himself.  "  Why  did  you  not  tell  me  this 
before  ?  "  said  he  reproachfully. 

Skinners  sharp  visage  seemed  to  sharpen  as  he  re- 
plied, "  Because  I  wanted  a  thousand  pounds  first." 

"  Curse  your  low  cunning  !  " 

Skinner  laughed.  "  Good-by.  sir;  take  care  of  your- 
self, and  I'll  take  care  of  mine.  I'm  afraid  of  Mr. 
Alfred  and  the  stone  jug,  so  I'm  off  to  London,  and 
there   I'll   un-Skinner   myself   into   Mr.    Something   or 


HAKD   CASH.  419 

other,  and  make  my  thousand  pounds  breed  ten."  And 
he  whipped  out,  leaving  his  master  filled  with  rage  and 
dismay. 

''Outwitted  even  by  this  little  wretch  !" 

He  was  now  accountable  for  fourteen  thousand  pounds, 
and  had  only  thirteen  thousand  left,  if  forced  to  reim- 
burse ;  so  that  it  was  quite  on  the  cards  for  him  to  lose 
a  thousand  pounds  by  robbing  his  neighbor  and  risking 
his  own  immortal  jewel.  This  galled  him  to  the  quick, 
and  altogether  his  equable  temper  began  to  give  way  : 
it  had  already  survived  half  the  iron  of  his  nerves.  He 
walked  up  and  down  the  parlor,  chafing  like  an  irritated 
lion.  In  which  state  of  his  mind  the  one  enemy  he  now 
feared  and  hated  walked  quietly  into  the  room,  and 
begged  for  a  little  serious  conversation  with  him. 

"  It  is  like  your  effrontery,"  said  Mr.  Hardie  ;  "  I  won- 
der you  are  not  ashamed  to  look  your  father  in  the  face." 

"  Having  wronged  nobody,  I  can  look  anybody  in  the 
face,"  replied  Alfred,  looking  him  in  the  face  point- 
blank. 

At  this  swift  rejoinder,  Mr.  Hardie  felt  like  a  too 
confident  swordsman,  who,  attacking  in  a  passion,  sud- 
denly receives  a  prick  that  shows  him  his  antagonist  is 
not  one  to  be  trifled  with.  He  was  on  his  guard  directly, 
and  said  coldly,  "  You  have  been  belying  me  to  my 
very  clerk." 

"  No,  sir,  you  are  mistaken :  I  have  never  mentioned 
your  name  to  3'our  clerk." 

jNIr.  Hardie  reflected  on  what  Skinner  had  told  him, 
and  found  he  had  made  another  false  move.  He  tried 
again,  "Nor  to  the  Dodds  ?  "  with  an  incredulous  sneer. 

"  Nor  to  the  Dodds,"  replied  Alfred  calmly. 

"  What,  not  to  IMiss  Julia  Dodd  ?  " 

"  No,  sir,  I  have  seen  her  but  once,  since  —  I  discov- 
ered about  the  fourteen  thousand  pounds." 


420  HARD   CASH. 

"  What  fourteen  thousand  pounds  ?  "  inquired  Mr. 
Hardie,  innocently. 

"  What  fourteen  thousand  pounds ! "  repeated  the 
young  man,  disdainfully.  Then  suddenly  turning  on 
his  father,  with  red  brow  and  flashing  eyes,  "  The  four- 
teen tliousand  pounds  Captain  Dodd  brought  home  from 
India :  the  fourteen  thousand  pounds  I  heard  him  claim 
of  you  with  curses ;  ay  !  miserable  son  and  miserable 
man  that  I  am  !  I  heard  my  own  father  called  a  villain  ; 
and  what  did  my  father  reply  ?  Did  you  hurl  the  words 
back  into  your  accuser's  throat  ?  No :  you  whispered, 
'Hush  !  hush  !  I'll  bring  it  you  down.'  Oh,  what  a  hell 
shame  is  ! " 

Mr.  Hardie  turned  pale,  and  almost  sick.  With  these 
words  of  Alfred's  fled  all  hope  of  ever  deceiving  him. 

*'  There,  there,"  said  the  young  man,  lowering  his  voice 
from  rage  to  profound  sorrow :  "  I  don't  come  here  to 
quarrel  with  my  father,  nor  to  insult  him,  God  knows ; 
and  I  entreat  you  for  both  our  sakes  not  to  try  my  tem- 
per too  hard  by  these  childish  attempts  to  blind  me ; 
and,  sir,  pray  dismiss  from  your  mind  the  notion  that  I 
have  disclosed  to  any  living  soul  my  knowledge  of  this 
horrible  secret.  On  the  contrary,  I  have  kept  it  gnaw- 
ing my  heart,  and  almost  maddening  me  at  times.  For 
my  own  personal  satisfaction  I  have  applied  a  test  both 
to  you  and  Skinner,  but  that  is  all  I  have  done  :  I  have 
not  told  dear  Julia,  nor  any  of  her  family,  and  now,  if 
you  will  only  listen  to  me,  and  do  what  I  entreat  you  to 
do,  she  shall  never  know  ;  oh,  never  ! " 

"  Oho  ! "  thought  Mr.  Hardie,  "  he  comes  with  a  pro- 
posal.    I'll  hear  it,  any  way." 

He  then  took  a  line  well  known  to  artful  men  :  he 
encouraged  Alfred  to  show  his  hand,  maintaining  a  com- 
plete reserve  as  to  his  own.  "  You  say  you  did  not 
communicate  your  illusion  about  this  fourteen  thousand 


HARD   CASH.  421 

pounds  to  Julia  Dodd  that  night :  may  I  ask  then  (with- 
out indiscretion)  what  did  pass  between  you  two  ?  " 

''  I  will  tell  you,  sir.  She  saw  me  standing  there,  and 
asked  me  in  her  own  soft  angel  voice  if  I  Avas  iinhappy. 
I  told  her  I  must  be  a  poor  creature  if  I  could  be  happy. 
Then  she  asked  me,  with  some  hesitation,  I  thoiight,  why 
I  was  unhappy.  I  said,  because  I  could  not  see  the  path 
of  honor  and  duty  clear ;  that,  at  least,  Avas  the  purport. 
Then  she  told  me  that  in  all  difficulties  she  had  found 
the  best  way  was  to  pray  to  God  to  guide  her ;  and  she 
begged  me  to  lay  my  care  before  Him  and  ask  His 
counsel.  And  then  I  thanked  her,  and  bade  her  good- 
night, and  she  me  ;  and  that  was  all  that  passed  between 
us  two  unhapi^y  lovers,  whom  you  have  made  miserable, 
and  even  cool  to  one  another,  but  not  hostile  to  you. 
And  you  played  the  spy  on  us,  sir,  and  misunderstood 
us,  as  spies  generally  do.  Ah,  sir !  a  few  months  ago 
you  would  not  have  condescended  to  that." 

Mr.  Hardie  colored,  but  did  not  reply.  He  had  passed 
from  the  irritable  into  the  quietly  vindictive  stage. 

Alfred  then  deprecated  further  discussion  of  what  was 
past,  and  said  abruptly,  "  I  have  an  offer  to  make  you : 
in  a  very  short  time  I  shall  have  ten  thousand  pounds ; 
I  will  not  resign  my  whole  fortune ;  that  would  be  unjust 
to  myself  and  my  wife  ;  and  I  loathe  and  despise  injust- 
ice in  all  its  forms,  however  romantic  or  plausible. 
But,  if  you  will  give  the  Dodds  their  fourteen  thousand 
pounds,  I  will  share  my  little  fortune  equally  with  you, 
and  thank  you,  and  bless  you.  Consider,  sir,  with  your 
abilities  and  experience  five  thousand  pounds  may  yet 
be  the  nucleus  of  a  fortune ;  a  fortune  built  on  an  honor- 
able foundation.  I  know  you  will  thrive  with  my  five 
thousand  pounds,  ten  times  more  than  with  their  four- 
teen thousand ;  and  enjoy  the  blessing  ,of  blessings,  a 
clear  conscience." 


422  HARD   CASH. 

Now  this  offer  was  no  sooner  made  than  Mr.  Hardie 
shut  his  face,  and  went  to  mental  arithmetic,  like  one 
doing  a  sum  behind  a  thick  door.  He  would  have  taken 
ten  thousand:  but  five  thousand  did  not  much  tempt 
him :  besides,  would  it  be  five  thousand  clear  ?  He  al- 
ready owed  Alfred  two  tliousand  five  hundred.  It  flashed 
through  him  that  a  young  man  who  loathed  and  despised 
injustice  —  even  to  himself  —  would  not  consent  to  be 
diddled  by  him  out  of  one  sum  while  making  him  a 
present  of  another :  and  then  there  was  Skinner's  thou- 
sand to  be  reimbursed.  He  therefore  declined  in  these 
terms  :  — 

"  This  offer  shows  me  you  are  sincere  in  these  strange 
notions  you  have  taken  up.  I  am  sorry  for  it :  it  looks 
like  insanity.  These  nocturnal  illusions,  these  imagin- 
ary sights  and  sounds,  come  of  brooding  on  a  single 
idea,  and  often  usher  in  a  calamity  one  trembles  to 
think  of.  You  have  made  me  a  proposal :  I  make  you 
one ;  take  a  couple  of  hundred  pounds  (I'll  get  it  from 
your  trustees),  and  travel  the  Continent  for  four  months ; 
enlarge  and  amuse  your  mind  with  the  contemplation  of 
nature  and  manners  and  customs ;  and  if  that  does  not 
clear  this  phantom  fourteen  thousand  pounds  out  of  your 
head,  I  am  much  mistaken." 

Alfred  replied  that  foreign  travel  was  his  dream  :  but 
he  could  not  leave  Barkington  wliile  there  was  an  act  of 
justice  to  be  done. 

"Then  do  me  justice,  boy,"  said  jNFr.  Hardie,  Avith  won- 
derful dignity,  all  things  considered.  "  Instead  of  brood- 
ing on  your  one  fantastical  idea,  and  shutting  out  all 
rational  evidence  to  the  contrary,  take  the  trouble  to 
look  through  my  books :  and  they  will  reveal  to  you  a 
fortune,  not  of  fourteen  thousand,  but  of  eighty  thou- 
sand pounds,  honorably  sacrificed  in  the  vain  struggle 
to   fulfil    my    engagements :    who,   do   you    think,    will 


HARD   CASH.  423 

believe,  against  such  evidence,  the  preposterous  tale 
you  have  concocted  against  your  poor  father  ?  Already 
the  tide  is  turning,  and  all,  who  have  seen  the  accounts 
of  the  bank,  pity  me ;  they  will  pity  me  still  more  if 
ever  they  hear  my  own  flesh  and  blood  insults  me  in  the 
moment  of  my  fall ;  sees  me  ruined  by  my  honesty,  and 
living  in  a  hovel,  yet  comes  into  that  poor  but  honest 
abode,  and  stabs  me  to  the  heart  by  accusing  me  of  steal- 
ing fourteen  thousand  pounds :  a  sum  that  would  have 
saved  me,  if  I  could  only  have  laid  my  hands  on  it." 

He  hid  his  face  to  conceal  its  incongruous  expression : 
and  heaved  a  deep  sigh. 

Alfred  turned  his  head  away  and  groaned. 

After  awhile  he  rose  from  his  seat  and  went  to  the 
door ;  but  seemed  reluctant  to  go  :  he  cast  a  longing, 
lingering  look  on  his  father,  and  said  beseechingly, 
"  Oh,  think !  you  are  not  my  flesh  and  blood  more  than 
I  am  yours ;  is  all  the  love  to  be  on  my  side  ?  have  I  no 
influence  even  when  right  is  on  my  side  ?  "  Then  he 
suddenly  turned  and  threw  himself  impetuously  on  his 
knees.  ''  Your  father  was  the  soul  of  honor ;  your  son 
loathed  fraud  and  injustice  from  his  cradle;  you  stand 
between  two  generations  of  Hardies,  and  belong  to  nei- 
ther; do  but  reflect  one  moment  how  bright  a  thing 
honor  is,  how  short  and  uncertain  a  thing  life  is,  how 
sure  a  thing  retribution  is,  in  this  world  or  the  next : 
it  is  your  guardian  angel  that  kneels  before  you  now, 
and  not  your  son ;  oh,  for  Christ's  sake,  for  my  mother's 
sake,  listen  to  my  last  appeal.  You  don't  know  me :  I 
cannot  compound  with  injustice.  Pity  me,  pity  her  I 
love,  pity  yourself  !  " 

'•  You  young  viper ! "  cried  the  father,  stung  with  re- 
morse but  not  touched  with  penitence.  "  Get  awa}^,  you 
amorous  young  hypocrite  ;  get  out  of  my  house,  get  out 
of  my  sight,  or  I  shall  spurn  you  and  curse  you  at  my 
feet." 


424  HARD   CASH. 

"  Enough  !  "  said  Alfred,  rising  and  turning  suddenly 
calm  as  a  statue:  "let  us  be  gentlemen,  if  you  please, 
even  though  we  must  be  enemies.  Good-by,  my  father 
that  was." 

And  he  walked  gently  out  of  the  room,  and,  as  he 
passed  the  window,  Mr.  Hardie  heard  his  great  heart 
sob. 

He  wiped  his  forehead  with  his  handkerchief.  "A 
hard  tussle,"  thought  he,  "  and  with  my  own  unnatural, 
ungrateful  flesh  and  blood ;  but  I  have  won  it :  he  hasn't 
told  the  Dodds  ;  he  never  will :  and,  if  he  did,  who 
would  believe  him,  or  them  ?  " 

At  dinner  there  was  no  Alfred  ;  but  after  dinner  a 
note  to  Jane  informing  her  he  had  taken  lodgings  in  the 
town,  and  requesting  her  to  send  his  books  and  clothes 
in  the  evening.  Jane  handed  the  note  to  her  father  and 
sighed  deeply.  Watching  his  face  as  he  read  it,  she  saw 
him  turn  rather  pale,  and  look  more  furrowed  than  ever. 

"Papa !  "  said  she,  "  what  does  it  all  mean  ?  " 

"  I  am  thinking." 

Then,  after  a  long  pause,  he  ground  his  teeth  and 
said,  "  It  means  —  war :  war  between  my  own  son  and 
me." 


HARD   CASH.  405 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

LoxG  before  this  open  rupture  Jane  Hardie  had  asked 
her  father  sorrowfully,  whether  she  was  to  discontinue 
her  intimacy  with  the  Dodds  :  she  thought  of  course  he 
would  say  "  Yes ; "  and  it  cost  her  a  hard  struggle  be- 
tween inclination  and  filial  duty  to  raise  the  question. 
But  Mr.  Hardie  was  anxious  her  friendship  with  that 
family  should  continue  ;  it  furnished  a  channel  of  news, 
and  in  case  of  detection  might  be  useful  to  avert  or 
soften  hostilities  ;  so  he  answered  rather  sharply,  '•  On 
no  account :  the  Dodds  are  an  estimable  family :  pray  be 
as  friendly  with  them  as  ever  you  can."  Jane  colored 
with  pleasure  at  this  most  unexpected  reply  :  but  her 
wakeful  conscience  reminded  her  this  answer  was  given  • 
in  ignorance  of  her  attachment  to  Edward  Dodd ;  and 
urged  her  to  confession.  But  at  that  nature  recoiled : 
Edward  had  not  openh"  declared  his  love  to  her;  so 
modest  pride,  as  well  as  modest  shame,  combined  with 
female  cowardice  to  hold  back  the  avowal. 

So  then  Miss  Tender  Conscience  tormented  herself ; 
and  recorded  the  struggle  in  her  diary ;  but  briefly,  and 
in  terms  vague  and  typical ;  not  a  word  about  "a  young 
man  "  —  or  "  crossed  in  love  "  —  but  one  obscure  and 
hasty  slap  at  the  carnal  affections,  and  a  good  deal  about 
the  "  saints  in  prison,"  and  "  the  battle  of  Armageddon." 

Yet  to  do  her  justice,  laxity  of  expression  did  not  act 
upon  her  conduct  and  warp  that,  as  it  does  most  mystical 
speakers. 

To  obey  her  father  to  the  letter,  she  maintained  a 
friendly  correspondence  with  Julia  Dodd,  exchanging 


426  HARD   CASH. 

letters  daily ;  but,  not  to  disobey  him  in  the  spirit,  she 
ceased  to  visit  Albion  Villa.  Thus  she  avoided  Edward, 
and  extracted  from  the  situation  the  utmost  self-denial, 
and  the  least  possible  amount  of  "  carnal  pleasure,"  as 
she  naiv'ely  denominated  an  interchange  of  worldly  affec- 
tion, however  distant  and  respectful. 

One  day  she  happened  to  mention  her  diary,  and  say 
it  was  a  present  comfort  to  her,  and  instructive  to  review. 
Julia,  catching  at  every  straw  of  consolation,  said  she 
would  keep  one  too,  and  asked  a  sight  of  Jane's  for  a 
model.  "  No,  dear  friend,"  said  Jane  :  "  a  diary  should 
be  one's  self  on  paper." 

This  was  fortunate  :  it  precluded  that  servile  imita- 
tion, in  which  her  sex  excels  even  mine  ;  and  conse- 
quently the  two  records  reflect  two  good  girls,  instead 
of  one  in  two  skins  ;  and  may  be  trusted  to  conduct  this 
narrative  forward,  and  relieve  ils  monotony  a  little: 
only  of  course  the  reader  must  not  expect  to  see  the 
plot  of  a  story  carried  minutely  out  in  two  crude  compo- 
sitions written  with  an  object  so  distinct :  he  must 
watch  for  glimpses  and  make  the  most  of  indications. 
Nor  is  this  an  excessive  demand  upon  his  intelligence ; 
for,  if  he  cannot  do  this  with  a  book,  how  will  he  do  it  in 
real  life,  where  male  and  female  characters  reveal  their 
true  selves  by  glimpses  only,  and  the  gravest  and  most 
dramatic  events  give  the  diviner  so  few  and  faint  signs 
of  their  coming  ? 

EXTRACTS    FROM    JULTA    DODd's    DIARY. 

"  Dec.  5.  It  is  all  over ;  they  have  taken  papa  away 
to  an  asylum  :  and  the  house  is  like  a  grave,  but  for  our 
outbursts  of  sorrow.  Just  before  he  went  away  the 
medal  came  —  oh,  no,  I  cannot.     Poor,  poor  mamma  ! 

"8  P.M.  In  the  midst  of  our  affliction  Heaven  sent  us 
a  ray  of  comfort :  the  kindest  letter  from  a  lady,  a  perfect 


HARD   CASH.  427 

stranger.     It  came  yesterday ;  but  now  I  have  got  it  to 
copy  :  oh,  bless  it ;  and  the  good,  kind  writer. 

Dear  Madam,  —  I  scarcely  know  whether  to  hope  or  to  fear 
that  your  good  husband  may  have  nientioneil  my  name  to  you  ; 
however,  he  is  just  the  man  to  pass  over  both  my  misbehavior 
and  his  own  gallantry  ;  so  I  beg  permission  to  introduce  my- 
self. I  and  my  little  boy  were  inissengers  by  the  .Agra;  I  was 
spoiled  b}'  a  long  residence  in  India,  and  gave  j'our  husband 
sore  trouble  by  resisting  discipline,  refusing  to  put  out  my 
light  at  nine  o'clock,  and  in  short  by  being  an  unreasonable 
woman,  or  rather,  a  spoiled  child.  Well,  all  my  little  attempts 
at  a  feud  failed  ;  Captain  Dodd  did  his  duty,  and  kept  his  tem- 
per provokingh':  the  only  revenge  he  took  was  a  noble  one; 
he  jumped  into  the  sea  after  m}'  darling  Freddy,  and  saved  him 
from  a  watery  grave,  and  his  mother  from  madness  or  death ; 
yet  he  was  himself  hardly  recovered  from  a  wound  he  had 
received  in  defending  us  all  against  pirates.  Need  I  say  more 
to  one  who  is  herself  a  mother  ?  You  will  know  how  our  lit- 
tle misunderstanding  ended  after  tliat.  As  soon  as  we  were 
friends  I  made  him  talk  of  his  family ;  yourself,  Edward, 
Julia,  I  seem  to  know  you  all. 

When  the  ruffian,  who  succeeded  our  good  captain,  had 
wrecked  poor  us,  and  then  deserted  us,  your  husband  resumed 
the  command,  and  saved  Freddy  and  me  once  more  by  his 
courage,  his  Avonderful  coolness,  and  his  skill.  Since  then  the 
mouse  has  been  at  work  for  the  lion ;  I  despair  of  conveying 
any  pleasure  by  it  to  a  character  so  elevated  as  Captain  Dodd ; 
his  reward  must  be  his  own  conscience ;  but  we  poor  little 
women  like  external  shows,  do  we  not?  and  so  I  thought  a 
medal  of  the  Humane  Society  might  give  some  pleasure  to  you 
and  ]\Iiss  Dodd.  Xever  did  medal  nor  order  repose  on  a 
nobler  heart.  The  case  was  so  strong,  and  so  well  supported, 
that  the  society  did  not  hesitate :  and  you  will  receive  it  very 
soon  after  this. 

You  will  be  surprised,  dear  madam,  at  all  this  from  a  stran- 
ger to  yourself,  and  will,  perhaps,  set  it  down  to  a  wish  to 
intrude  on  j'our  acquaintance.  Well,  then,  dear  madam,  )-ou 
will  not  be  far  wrongs,     I  should  like  much  to  know  one  whose 


428  HAED   CASH. 

charactei-  I  already  seem  acquainted  with  ;  and  to  convey  per- 
sonally my  gratitude  and  admiration  of  your  husband  ;  I  could 
pour  it  out  more  freely  to  you,  you  know,  than  to  him. 
1  am, 

Dear  madam, 

Yours  very  faithfully, 
Louisa  Beresford. 

"  And  the  medal  came  about  an  hour  before  the  fly  to 
take  him  away.  His  dear  name  was  on  it,  and  his  brave, 
courageous  acts. 

"  Oh,  shall  I  ever  be  old  enough  and  hard  enough  to 
speak  of  this  without  stopping  to  cry  ? 

"We  fastened  it  round  his  dear  neck  with  a  ribbon. 
Mamma  would  put  it  inside  his  clothes  for  fear  the 
silver  should  tempt  some  wretch ;  I  should  never  have 
tliouglit  of  that :  is  there  a  creature  so  base  ?  And  we 
told  the  men  how  he  had  gained  it  (they  were  servants 
of  the  asylum),  and  we  showed  them  how  brave  and  good 
he  was,  and  would  be  again  if  they  would  be  kind  to 
him  and  cure  him.  And  mamma  bribed  them  with 
money  to  use  him  kindly :  I  thought  they  would  be 
offended  and  refuse  it :  but  they  took  it,  and  their  faces 
showed  she  was  wiser  than  I  am.  He  keeps  away  from 
us  too.     It  is  nearly  a  fortnight  now. 

"Dec.  7.  Aunt  Eve  left  to-day.  IMamma  kept  her 
room  and  could  not  speak  to  lier:  cannot  forgive  her 
interfering  between  papa  and  her.  It  does  seem  strange 
tliat  any  one  but  mamma  should  be  able  to  send  papa 
out  of  the  liouse,  and  to  such  a  place  ;  but  it  is  the  law  ; 
and  Edward,  who  is  all  good-sense,  says  it  was  necessary  : 
he  says  mamma  is  unjust:  grief  makes  her  unreasona- 
ble. I  don't  know  who  is  in  the  right,  and  I  don't  much 
care  :  but  I  know  I  am  sorry  for  Aunt  Eve,  and  very, 
very  sorry  for  nuxmina. 

"  Dec.  8.   I  am  an  egotist :  found  myself  out  this  morn- 


HARD  CASH. 


429 


ing;  and  it  is  a  good  thing  to  keep  a  diary.  It^  was 
overpowered  at  first  by  grief  for  mamma :  but  now  the 
house  is  sad  and  quiet:  I  am  always  thinking  of  Jiim ;  and 
that  is  egotism. 

"  Why  does  he  stay  away  so  ?  I  almost  wish  I  could 
think  it  was  coldness  or  diminished  affection ;  for  I  fear 
something  worse ;  something  to  make  him  wretched. 
Those  dreadful  words  papa  spoke  before  he  was  afflicted! 
words  I  will  never  put  on  paper ;  but  they  ring  in  my 
ears  still;  they  appall  me  :  and  then  found  at  their  very 
door!  Ah,  and  I  knew  I  should  find  him  near  that  house. 
And  now  he  keeps  away. 

"Dec.  9.  All  day  trying  to  comfort  mamma.  She 
made  a  great  effort,  and  wrote  to  Mrs.  Beresford. 

POOR  mamma's  letter. 

Dear  Madam,  —  Your  kind  and  valued  letter  reached  us  in 
deep  atHiction,  and  1  am  little  able  to  I'eply  to  30U  as  you  deserve. 
My  poor  husband  is  very  ill ;  so  ill  tliat  he  no  longer  remem- 
bers the  past,  neither  the  brave  acts  that  liave  won  him  your 
esteem,  nor  even  the  face  of  his  loving  and  unhappy  wife,  wlio 
now  thanks  you  with  many  tears  for  your  sweet  letter.  Heart- 
brolven  as  my  children  and  I  are,  we  yet  derive  some  consola- 
tion from  it.  We  have  tied  the  medal  round  his  neck,  madam, 
and  thank  you  far  more  than  we  can  find  words  to  express. 

In  conclusion,  I  pray  Heaven,  that  in  your  bittei'est  hour,  you 
may  find  the  consolation  you  have  administered  to  us :  no,  no, 
1  pray  you  may  never,  never  stand  in  such  need  of  comfort. 
I  am,  dear  madam. 

Yours  gi'atefully  and  sincerely, 

Lucr  DoDD. 

"Dec.  10,  Sunday.  At  St.  Anne's  in  the  morning.  Tried 
hard  to  apply  the  sermon.  He  spoke  of  griefs,  but  so 
coldly ;  surely  he  never  felt  one :  he  was  not  there.    Mem. : 

1  Egotism.  The  abstract  quality  evolved  from  the  concrete  terra  egotiat 
by  feminine  art,  without  the  aid  of  grammar. 


430  HARD  CASH. 

always  pray  against  wandering  thoughts  on  entering 
church. 

"Dec.  11.  A  diary  is  a  dreadful  thing.  Everything 
must  go  down  now,  and,  amongst  the  rest,  that  the  poor 
are  selfish.  1  could  not  interest  one  of  mine  in  mamma's 
sorrows ;  no,  they  must  run  back  to  their  own  little 
sordid  troubles,  about  money  and  things.  I  was  so  pro- 
voked with  jNlrs.  Jackson  (she  owes  mamma  so  much) 
that  I  left  her  hastil}^ :  and  that  was  impatience.  1  had 
a  mind  to  go  back  to  her;  but  would  not;  and  that  was 
pride.     Where  is  my  Christianity  ? 

"  A  kind  letter  from  Jane  Hardie.  But  no  word  of 
hhn. 

"Dec.  12.  To-day  Edward  told  me  plump  I  must  not 
go  on  taking  things  out  of  the  house  for  the  poor ; 
mamma  gave  me  the  reason.  '  We  are  poor  ourselves, 
thanks  to '  —  And  then  she  stopped.  Does  she  suspect  ? 
How  can  she  ?  She  did  not  hear  those  two  dreadful  words 
of  papa's.  They  are  like  two  arrows  in  my  heart.  And 
so  we  are  poor :  she  says  we  have  scarcely  anything  to 
live  upon  after  paying  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds 
a  year  for  papa. 

'•'Dec.  13.  A  comforting  letter  from  Jane.  She  sends 
me  Heb.  xii.  11,  and  says,  'Let  us  take  a  part  of  the 
Bible,  and  read  two  chapters  prayerfully,  at  the  same 
hour  of  the  day:  will  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  suit 
you?  and,  if  so,  will  you  choose  where  to  begin?'  I 
will,  sweet  friend,  I  will :  and  then,  though  some  cruel 
mystery  keeps  us  apart,  our  souls  will  be  together  over 
the  sacred  page,  as  I  hope  they  will  one  day  be  together 
in  heaven;  yours  will^  at  any  rate.  Wrote  back,  yes,  and 
a  thousand  thanks,  and  should  like  to  begin  with  the 
Psalms ;  they  are  sorrowful,  and  so  are  we.  And  I  must 
pray  not  to  think  too  much  of  him. 

"If  everything  is  to  be  put  down  one  does,  I  cried 


HARD  cAsa.  431 

long  and  bitterly  to  find  I  had  written  that  I  must  pray 
to  God  against  liim. 

"  Dec.  14.  It  is  plain  he  never  means  to  come  again. 
Mamma  says  nothing,  but  that  is  out  of  pity  for  me ;  I 
have  not  read  her  dear  face  all  these  years  for  nothing. 
She  is  beginning  to  think  him  unworthy,  when  she  thinks 
of  him  at  all.  There  is  a  mystery ;  a  dreadful  mystery  : 
may  he  not  be  as  mystified,  too,  and  perhaps  tortured  like 
me  with  doubts  and  suspicions  ?  they  say  he  is  pale  and 
dejected.  Poor  thing!  But  then,  oh,  why  not  come  to 
me  and  say  so?  Shall  I  write  to  him  ?  Xo,  I  will  cut 
my  hand  off  sooner. 

"  Dec.  16.  A  blessed  letter  from  Jane.  She  says, '  Let- 
ter-writing on  ordinary  subjects  is  a  sad  waste  of  time 
and  very  unpardonable  among  His  people.'  And  so  it  is  ; 
and  my  weak  hope,  daily  disappointed,  that  there  may 
be  something  in  her  letter,  only  shows  how  inferior  I 
am  to  my  beloved  friend.  She  says,  '  I  should  like  to 
fix  another  hour  for  us  two  to  meet  at  the  throne  to- 
gether :  will  five  o'clock  suit  you  ?  we  dine  at  six,  but  I 
am  never  more  than  half  an  hour  dressing.' 

"  The  friendship  of  this  saint,  and  her  bright  example, 
is  what  Heaven  sends  me  in  infinite  mercy  and  goodness 
to  soothe  my  aching  heart  a  little  :  for  him  I  shall  never 
see  again. 

"  I  have  seen  him  this  very  evening. 

"It  was  a  beautiful  night:  I  went  to  look  at  —  the 
world  to  come  I  call  it  —  for  I  believe  the  redeemed  are 
to  inhabit  those  very  stars  hereafter,  and  visit  them  all 
in  turn  —  and  this  world  I  now  find  is  a  world  of  sorrow 
and  disappointment  —  so  I  went  on  the  balcony  to  look 
at  a  better  one  :  and  oh,  it  seemed  so  hoh',  so  calm,  so 
pure,  that  heavenly  world  :  I  gazed  and  stretched  my 
hands  towards  it  for  ever  so  little  of  its  holiness  and 
purity  ;  and  that  moment,  I  heard  a  sigh.     I  looked,  and 


432  HARD  CASH. 

there  stood  a  gentleman  just  outside  our  gate,  and  it  was 
him.  T  nearly  screamed,  and  my  heart  beat  so.  He  did 
not  see  me ;  for  I  had  come  out  softly,  and  his  poor  head 
was  down,  down  upon  his  breast ;  and  he  used  to  carry 
it  so  high,  a  little,  little  while  ago ;  too  high,  some  said ; 
but  not  I.  I  looked,  and  my  misgivings  melted  away ; 
it  flashed  on  me  as  if  one  of  those  stars  had  written  it 
with  its  own  light  in  my  heart  —  'There  stands  grief, 
not  guilt.'  And  before  I  knew  what  I  was  about,  I 
had  whispered  '  Alfred ! '  The  poor  boy  started  and  ran 
towards  me,  but  stopped  short  and  sighed  again.  My 
heart  yearned  ;  but  it  was  not  for  me  to  make  advances 
to  him,  after  his  unkindness  ;  so  I  spoke  to  him  as  coldly 
as  ever  I  could,  and  I  said,  'You  are  imhappy.' 

"He  looked  up  to  me,  and  then  I  saw  even  by  that 
light  that  he  is  enduring  a  bitter,  bitter  struggle ;  so  pale, 
so  worn,  so  dragged  !  —  Now  how  many  times  have  I  cried 
this  last  month  ?  more  than  in  all  the  rest  of  my  life,  a 
great  deal.  — '  Unhappy  ! '  he  said  ;  '  I  must  be  a  con- 
temptible thing  if  I  was  not  unhappy.'  And  then  he 
asked  me,  should  not  I  despise  him  if  he  was  happy.  I 
did  not  answer  that ;  but  I  asked  him  why  he  was  un- 
happy. And  when  I  had,  I  was  half  frightened,  for  he 
never  evades  a  question  the  least  bit. 

"  He  held  his  head  higher  still,  and  said,  '  I  am  un- 
happy because  I  cannot  see  the  path  of  honor.' 

"  Then  I  babbled  something,  I  forget  what :  then  he 
went  on  like  this  —  ah,  I  never  forget  what  he  says  — 
he  said  Cicero  says  ^quitas  ijjsa  lucet  per  se  ;  something 
sifjnijicat  ^  something  else  :  and  he  repeated  it  slowly  for 
me,  he  knows  I  know  a  little  Latin ;  and  told  me  that  was 
as  much  as  to  say,  '  Justice  is  so  clear  a  thing,  that  who- 
ever hesitates  must  be  on  the  road  of  wrong.  'And  yet,' 
he  said  bitterly,  '/  hesitate  and  doubt,  in  a  matter  of 

1  Dubitatio  cogitationcm  slgnificat  iiytirim. 


HARD   CASH.  433 

right  and  wrong,  like  an  academic  philosopher  weighing 
and  balancing  mere  speculative  straws.'  Those  were  his 
very  words.  '  And  so/  said  he,  '  I  am  miserable  ;  deserv- 
ing to  be  miserable.' 

"  Then  I  ventured  to  remind  him  that  he,  and  I,  and 
all  Christian  souls,  had  a  resource  not  known  to  heathen 
philosophers,  however  able.  And  I  said,  '  Dear  Alfred, 
when  I  am  in  doubt  and  difficulty,  I  go  and  pray  to  Him, 
to  guide  me  aright :  have  you  done  so  ?  '  No,  that  had 
never  occurred  to  him  ;  but  he  would,  if  I  made  a  point 
of  it ;  and  at  any  rate  he  could  not  go  on  in  this  way ;  I 
should  soon  see  him  again,  and,  once  his  mind  was  made 
up,  no  shrinking  from  mere  consequences,  he  promised 
me.  Then  we  bade  one  another  good-night,  and  he  went 
off  holding  his  head  as  proudly  as  he  used :  and  j)oor 
silly  me  fluttered,  and  nearly  h}-sterical,  as  soon  as  I 
quite  lost  sight  of  him. 

"  Dec.  17.  At  church  in  the  morning :  a  good  sermon. 
Notes  and  analysis.  In  the  evening  Jane's  clergyman 
preached.  She  came.  Going  out  I  asked  her  a  question 
about  what  we  had  heard ;  but  she  did  not  answer  me. 
At  parting  she  told  me  she  made  it  a  rule  not  to  speak 
coming  from  church,  not  even  about  the  sermon.  This 
seemed  austere  to  poor  me.  But  of  course  she  is  right. 
Oh,  that  I  was  like  her ! 

"Dec.  18.  Edward  is  coming  out.  This  boy,  that  one 
has  taught  all  the  French,  all  the  dancing,  and  nearly  all 
the  Latin  he  knows,  turns  out  to  be  one's  superior, 
infinitely :  I  mean  in  practical  good-sense.  Mamma 
had  taken  her  pearls  to  the  jeweller  and  borrowed  two 
hundred  pounds.  He  found  this  out  and  objected.  She 
told  him  a  part  of  it  was  required  to  keep  him  at  Oxford. 
*  Oh,  indeed/  said  he :  and  we  thought  of  course  there 
was  an  end :  but  next  morning  he  was  off  before  break- 
fast, and  the  day  after  he  returned  from  Oxford  with  his 
28 


434  HARD  CASH. 

caution  money,  forty  pounds,  and  gave  it  mamma ;  she 
had  forgotten  all  about  it.  And  he  had  taken  his  name 
off  the  college  books  and  left  the  university  forever. 
The  poor,  gentle  tears  of  mortification  ran  down  his 
mother's  cheeks,  and  I  hung  round  her  neck,  and  scolded 
him  like  a  vixen  ;  as  I  am.  We  might  have  spared  tears 
and  fury  both,  for  he  is  neither  to  be  melted  nor  irritated 
by  poor  little  us.  He  kissed  us  and  coaxed  us  like  a  supe- 
rior being,  and  set  to  work  in  his  quiet,  sober,  ponderous 
way,  and  proved  us  a  couple  of  fools  to  our  entire  satis- 
faction, and  that  without  an  unkind  word :  for  he  is  as 
gentle  as  a  lamb,  and  as  strong  as  ten  thousand  elephants. 
He  took  the  money  back,  and  brought  the  pearls  home 
again,  and  he  has  written  '  Soyez  de  votre  Sij<:cle'  in 
great  large  letters,  and  has  pasted  it  on  all  our  three 
bedroom-doors,  inside.  •  And  he  has  been  all  these  years 
quietly  cutting  up  the  Morning  Advertise);  and  arranging 
the  slips  with  wonderful  skill  and  method.  He  calls  it 
'  digesting  the  'Tiser  ! '  and  you  can't  ask  for  any  modern 
information,  great  or  small,  but  he'll  find  you  something 
about  it  in  this  digest.  Such  a  folio  !  It  takes  a  man  to 
open  and  shut  it.  And  he  means  to  be  a  sort  of  little 
papa  in  this  house,  and  mamma  means  to  let  him.  And 
indeed,  it  is  so  sweet  to  be  commanded ;  besides,  it  saves 
thinking  for  one's  self,  and  that  is  such  a  worry. 

"  Dec.  19.  Yes,  they  have  settled  it :  we  are  to  leave 
here,  and  live  in  lodgings  to  save  servants.  How  we  are 
to  exist  even  so,  mamma  cannot  see,  but  Edward  can ;  he 
says  we  two  have  got  popular  talents,  and  he  knows  tlie 
markets  (what  does  that  mean,  I  wonder  ?),  and  the  world 
in  general.  I  asked  him  wherever  he  picked  it  up,  his 
knowledge  :  he  said,  '  In  the  'Tiser.'  I  asked  him  would 
he  leave  the  place  where  she  lives.  He  looked  sad,  but 
said,  '  Yes  :  for  the  good  of  us  all.'  So  lie  is  better  tlian 
I  am :  but  who  is  not  ?     I  wasted  an  imploring  look  on 


HARD   CASH.  435 

Ilim ;  but  not  on  mamma ;  she  looked  back  to  me,  and 
then  said  sadly,  '  Wait  a  few  days,  Edward,  for  —  mij 
sake.'  That  meant  for  poor  credulous  Julia's,  who  still 
believes  in  him.     My  sweet  mother  ! 

"  Dec.  21.  Told  mamma  to-day  I  would  go  for  a  gov- 
erness, to  help  her,  since  we  are  all  ruined.  She  kissed 
me  and  trembled;  but  she  did  not  say  'No;'  so  it  will 
come  to  that.  He  will  be  sorry.  When  I  do  go,  I  think 
I  shall  find  courage  to  send  him  a  line  :  just  to  say  I  am 
sure  he  is  not  to  blame  for  witlidrawing.  Indeed,  how 
could  I  ever  marry  a  man  whose  father  I  have  heard  my 
father  call —     (The  pen  was  drawn  through  the  rest.) 

'"'  Dec.  22.  A  miserable  day  :  low-spirited  and  hysteri- 
cal. We  are  really  going  away.  Edward  has  begun  to  make 
packing-cases ;  I  stood  over  him  and  sighed,  and  asked  him 
questions  :  he  said  he  was  going  to  take  unfurnished 
rooms  in  London,  send  up  what  furniture  is  absolutely 
necessary,  and  sell  the  rest  by  auction,  with  the  lease  of 
our  dear,  dear  house,  where  we  were  all  so  happy  once. 
So,  what  with  his  '  knowledge  of  the  markets,  and  the 
world,'  and  his  sense,  and  his  strong  will,  we  have  only 
to  submit.  And  then  he  is  so  kind,  too :  '  Don't  cry, 
little  girl,'  he  said.  'Not  but  what  I  could  turn  on  the 
waters  myself  if  there  was  anything  to  be  gained  by  it. 
Shall  I  cry,  Ju,'  said  he,  'or  shall  I  whistle  ?  I  think  I'll 
whistle.'  And  he  whistled  a  tune  right  through  while  he 
worked  with  a  heart  as  sick  as  my  own,  perhaps.  Poor 
Edward ! 

"  Dec.  23.  My  Christian  friend  has  her  griefs  too. 
But  then  sAe  puts  them  to  profit ;  she  says  to-day,  '  We 
are  both  tasting  the  same  flesh-crucifying  but  soul-profit- 
ing experience.'  Her  every  word  is  a  rebuke  to  me;  torn 
at  this  solemn  season  of  the  year  with  earthly  passions. 
Went  down  after  reading  her  letter,  and  played  and  sang 
the  Gloria  in  Excelsis  of  Fergolesi,  with  all  my  soul.     So 


436  HARD   CASH. 

then  I  repeated  it,  and  burst  out  crying  in  the  middle. 
Oh,  shame  !  shame  ! 

"  Dec.  24.  Edward  started  for  London  at  five  in  the 
morning  to  take  a  place  for  us.  The  servants  were  next 
told,  and  received  warning ;  the  one  we  had  the  poorest 
opinion  of,  she  is  such  a  flirt,  cried,  and  begged  mamma 
to  let  her  share  our  fallen  fortunes,  and  said  she  could 
cook  a  little  and  would  do  her  best.  I  kissed  her  vio- 
lently, and  quite  forgot  I  was  a  young  lady  till  she  her- 
self reminded  me ;  and  she  looked  frightened  at  mamma. 
But  mamma  only  smiled  through  her  tears,  and  said, 
*  Think  of  it  quietly,  Sarah,  before  you  commit  yourself.' 

"  I  am  now  sitting  in  my  old  room,  cold  as  a  stone  ;  for 
I  have  packed  up  some  things  ;  so  the  first  step  is  actu- 
ally taken.  Oh,  if  I  but  knew  that  he  was  happy  ! 
Then  I  could  endure  anything.  But  how  can  I  think 
so  ?  Well,  I  will  go,  and  never  tell  a  soul  what  I  sus- 
pect, and  he  cannot  tell,  even  if  he  knows,  for  it  is  his 
father.  Jane,  too,  avoids  all  mention  of  her  own  father 
and  brother  more  than  is  natural.  Oh,  if  I  could  only 
be  a  child  again  ! 

"Regrets  are  vain  ;  I  will  cease  even  to  record  them  ; 
these  diaries  feed  one's  selfishness,  and  the  unfortunate 
passion  that  will  make  me  a  bad  daughter  and  an  un- 
grateful soldier  of  Him  who  was  born  as  to-morrow  :  to 
your  knees,  false  Christian  !  to  your  knees ! 

"  I  am  calmer  now ;  and  feel  resigned  to  the  will  of 
Heaven,  or  benumbed,  or  something.  I  will  pack  this 
box  and  then  go  down  and  comfort  my  mother,  and  visit 
my  poor  people,  perhaps  for  the  last  time  ;  ah  me ! 

"  A  knock  at  the  street-door  !  his  knock  !  I  know  every 
echo  of  his  hand,  and  his  foot.  Where  is  my  composure 
now  ?  1  flutter  like  a  bird.  I  will  not  go  down.  He 
will  think  I  love  him  so. 


HARD   CASH.  437 

"  At  least  I  will  wait  till  he  has  nearly  gone. 
-'  Elizabeth  has  come  to  say  I  am  wanted  in  the  draw- 
ing-room, 

"So  I  must  go  down  whether  I  like  or  no. 

"Bedtime.  Oh,  that  I  had  the  pen  of  a  writer  to 
record  the  scene  I  have  witnessed,  worthily  !  When 
I  came  in,  I  found  mamma  and  him  both  seated  in 
dead  silence.  He  rose  and  looked  at  me  and  I  at  him, 
and  years  seemed  to  have  rolled  over  his  face  since 
last  I  saw  it ;  I  was  obliged  to  turn  my  head  away  ;  I 
courtesied  to  him  distantly,  and  may  Heaven  forgive  me 
for  that ;  and  we  sat  down,  and  presently  turned  round 
and  all  looked  at  one  another  like  the  ghosts  of  the 
happy  creatures  we  once  were  altogether. 

"  Then  Alfred  began,  not  in  his  old  imperative  voice, 
but  scarce  above  a  whisper ;  and  oh,  the  words  such  as 
none  but  himself  in  the  wide  world  would  have  spoken  ! 
I  love  him  better  than  ever  ;  I  pity  him  ;  I  adore  him  ; 
he  is  a  scholar ;  he  is  a  chevalier ;  he  is  the  soul  of  honor ; 
he  is  the  most  unfortunate  and  proudest  gentleman 
beneath  the  sun  ;  0  my  darling  !  my  darling  ! 

"  He  said,  '  Mrs.  Dodd,  and  you,  Miss  Dodd,  whom  I 
loved  before  I  lost  the  right  to  ask  you  to  be  mine,  and 
whom  I  shall  love  to  the  last  hour  of  my  miserable  ex- 
istence, I  am  come  to  explain  my  own  conduct  to  you, 
and  to  do  you  an  act  of  simple  justice,  too  long  delayed. 
To  begin  with  myself,  you  must  know  that  my  under- 
standing is  of  the  academic  school ;  I  incline  to  weigh 
proofs  before  I  make  up  my  mind.  But  then  I  differ 
from  that  school  in  this,  that  I  cannot  think  myself  to 
an  eternal  standstill  (such  an  expression!  but  what 
does  that  matter,  it  was  his).  I  am  a  man  of  action  ;  in 
Hamlet's  place  I  should  have  either  turned  my  ghost 
into  ridicule,  or  my  uncle  into  a  ghost ;  so  I  kept  away 


438  HARD  CASH. 

from  you  while  m  doubt,  but  now  I  doubt  no  longer.  I 
take  my  line ;  ladies,  you  have  been  swindled  out  of  a 
large  sum  of  money.' 

"  My  blood  ran  cold  at  these  words.  Surely  nothing 
on  earth  but  a  man  could  say  this  right  out  like  that. 

"  Mamma  and  I  looked  at  one  another  ;  and  what  did 
I  see  in  her  face,  for  the  first  time  ?  Why,  that  she  had 
her  suspicions  too,  and  had  been  keeping  them  from  me. 
Pitying  angel ! 

"  He  went  on:  'Captain  Dodd  brought  home  several 
thousand  pounds  ?  ' 

"  Mamma  said  '  Yes.'  And  I  think  she  was  going  to 
say  how  much,  but  he  stopped  her  and  made  her  write 
the  amount  in  an  envelope,  while  he  took  another  and 
wrote  in  it  with  his  pencil )  he  took  both  envelopes  to 
me,  and  asked  me  to  read  them  out  in  turn ;  I  did,  and 
mamma's  said  fourteen  thousand  pounds  ;  and  his  said 
fourteen  thousand  pounds.  Mamma  looked  such  a  look 
at  me. 

"  Then  he  turned  to  me  :  '  Miss  Dodd,  do  you  remem- 
ber that  night  you  and  I  met  at  Richard  Hardie's  door? 
Well,  scarce  five  minutes  before  that,  your  father  was 
standing  on  our  lawn  and  called  to  the  man,  who  was  my 
father,  in  a  loud  voice  —  it  rings  in  my  ears  now  — 
*'  Hardie  !  villain !  give  me  back  my  money,  my  fourteen 
thousand  pounds  !  give  me  my  children's  money,  or  may 
your  children  die  before  your  eyes."  Ah,  you  wince  to 
hear  me  whisper  these  dreadful  words  ;  what  if  you  had 
been  where  I  was  and  heard  them  spoken,  and  in  a  terri- 
ble voice  ;  the  voice  of  despair,  the  voice  of  truth  !  Soon 
a  window  opened  cautiously,  and  a  voice  whispered, 
"Hush!  I'll  bring  it  you  down."  And  this  voice  was 
the  voice  of  fear,  of  dishonesty,  and  of  Richard  Hardie.' 

"  He  turned  deadly  white  when  he  said  tliis,  and  I 
cried  to  mamma,  *0h,  stop  him  !  stop  him  !'     And  she 


HARD   CASH.  439 

said,  'Alfred,  think  what  you  are  saying.  Why  do  you 
tell  us  what  we  had  better  never  know  ? '  He  answered 
directl}',  — 

"'Because  it  is  the  truth;  and  because  I  loathe  injust- 
ice. Some  time  afterwards  I  taxed  Mr.  Richard  Hardie 
with  this  fourteen  thousand  pounds ;  and  his  face  be- 
trayed him.  I  taxed  his  clerk.  Skinner ;  and  Skinner's 
face  betrayed  him ;  and  he  fled  the  town  that  very 
night.' 

"  My  mother  looked  much  distressed,  and  said,  '  To 
what  end  do  you  raise  this  pitiable  subject  ?  Your 
father  is  a  bankrupt,  and  we  but  suffer  with  the  rest.' 

"  'No,  no,'  said  he,  'I  have  looked  through  the  bank- 
rupt's books,  and  there  is  no  mention  of  the  sum.  And 
then  who  brought  Captain  Dodd  here  ?  Skinner ;  and 
Skinner  is  his  detected  confederate.  It  is  clear  to  me 
poor  Captain  Dodd  trusted  that  sum  to  us  before  he  had 
the  fit ;  beyond  this  all  is  conjecture.' 

"  JMamma  looked  at  me  again,  and  said,  '  What  a7n  I 
to  do,  or  say  ?  ' 

"I  screamed,  'Do  nothing,  say  nothing;  oh,  pray,  pray 
make  him  hold  his  tongue,  and  let  the  vile  money  go. 
It  is  not  his  fault.' 

"'Do?'  said  the  obstinate  creature;  'why,  tell 
Edward,  and  let  him  employ  a  sharp  attorney ;  you 
have  a  supple  antagonist,  and  a  daring  one.  Need  I  say 
I  have  tried  persuasion,  and  even  bribes ;  but  he  defies 
me.  Set  an  attorney  on  him,  or  the  police.  Fiat  jus- 
titia,  mat  caelum.''  I  put  both  hands  out  to  him  and 
burst  out,  'O  Alfred,  why  did  you  tell  ?  A  son  expose 
his  own  father  ?  For  shame  ;  for  shame  !  I  have  sus- 
pected it  all  long  ago  ;  but  /  would  never  have  told.' 

"  He  started  a  little,  but  said,  '  Miss  Dodd,  you  were 
very  generous  to  me  ;  but  that  is  not  exactly  a  reason 
why  1  should  be  a  cur  to  you,  and  an  accomplice  in  a 


440  HARD  CASH. 

theft  by  which  you  suffer.  I  have  no  pretensions  to 
religion  like  my  sister ;  so  I  can't  afford  to  tamper  with 
plain  right  and  wrong.  What,  look  calmly  on,  and  see 
one  man  defraud  another  ?  I  can't  do  it.  See  tjou 
defrauded  ?  you,  Mrs.  Dodd,  for  whom  I  profess  affec- 
tion and  friendship  ?  You,  Miss  Dodd,  for  whom  1  pro- 
fess love  and  constancy  ?  Stand  and  see  you  swindled 
into  poverty  ?  Of  what  do  you  think  I  am  made  ?  My 
stomach  rises  against  it,  my  blood  boils  against  it,  my 
flesh  creeps  at  it,  my  soul  loathes  it ; '  then  after  this  great 
burst  he  seemed  to  turn  so  feeble.  '  Oh,'  said  he,  falter- 
ing, *  I  know  what  I  have  done  ;  I  have  signed  the  death- 
warrant  of  our  love,  dear  to  me  as  life.  But  I  can't  help 
it.  0  Julia,  Julia,  my  lost  love,  you  can  never  look  on 
me  again  ;  you  must  not  love  a  man  you  cannot  marry, 
Cheat  Hardie's  wretched  son.  But  what  could  I  do  ? 
Fate  offers  me  but  the  miserable  choice  of  desolation  or 
cowardly  rascality.  I  choose  desolation.  And  I  mean 
to  stand  by  my  choice  like  a  man.     So  good-by,  ladies.' 

"The  poor,  proud  creature  rose  from  his  seat,  and 
bowed  stiffly  and  haughtily  to  us  both,  and  was  going 
away  without  another  word,  and  I  do  believe  forever. 
But  his  soul  had  been  too  great  for  his  body ;  his  poor 
lips  turned  pale,  and  he  staggered,  and  would  have 
fallen,  but  mamma  screamed  to  me,  and  she  he  loves  so 
dearly,  and  abandons  so  cruelly,  woke  from  a  stupor  of 
despair,  and  fl.ew  and  caught  him  fainting  in  these  arms. 


HARD  CASH.  441 


CHAPTER   XXVI. 

"  We  laid  the  poor,  proud  creature  on  the  sofa,  and 
bathed  his  face  with  eau  de  Cologne.  He  spoke  directly, 
and  said  that  was  nice,  and  '  His  head !  his  head ! '  And 
I  don't  think  he  was  ever  quite  insensible,  but  he  did  not 
know  what  was  going  on,  for  presently  he  opened  his 
eyes  wide,  and  stared  at  us  so,  and  then  closed  them  with, 
oh,  such  a  sigh ;  it  swelled  my  heart  almost  to  biirsting. 
And  to  think  I  could  say  nothing ;  but  mamma  Soothed 
him  and  insisted  on  his  keeping  quiet ;  for  he  wanted  to 
run  away  from  us.  She  was  never  so  good  to  him  before ; 
she  said,  '  My  dear  child,  you  have  my  pity  and  my 
esteem ;  alas  !  that  at  your  age  you  should  be  tried  like 
this.  How  few  in  this  sorry  world  would  have  acted 
like  you ;  I  should  have  sided  with  my  own  flesh  and 
blood,  for  one.' 

"  '  What,  right  or  wrong  ? '  he  asked. 

"  '  Yes,'  said  she,  '■  right  or  wrong.'  Then  she  turned 
to  me  :  '  Julia,  shall  all  the  generosity  be  on  his  side  ? ' 

"  I  kissed  her  and  clung  to  her,  but  dared  not  speak  ; 
but  I  was  mad  enough  to  hope,  I  scarcely  know  what, 
till  she  said  in  the  same  kind,  sorrowful  voice,  '  I  agree 
with  you ;  you  can  never  be  my  son,  nor  Julia's  husband. 
But  as  for  that  money,  it  revolts  me  to  proceed  to  ex- 
tremes against  one,  who  after  all  is  j-our  father,  my  poor, 
poor,  chivalrous  boy.'  •  But  she  would  decide  nothing 
without  Edward;  he  had  taken  his  father's  place  in  this 
house.  So  then  I  gave  all  up,  for  Edward  is  made  of 
iron.  Alfred  was  clearer-sighted  than  I,  and  never  had 
a  hope  5  he  put  his  arm  round  mamma  and  kissed  her, 


442  HARD   CASH. 

and  she  kissed  him  ;  and  he  kissed  my  hand  and  crept 
away,  and  I  heard  his  step  on  the  stair,  and  on  the  road 
ever  so  far,  and  life  seemed  ended  for  me  when  I  heard 
it  no  more. 

"  Edward  has  come  home.  Mamma  told  him  all :  he 
listened  gravely  ;  1  hung  upon  his  lips,  and  at  last  the 
oracle  spoke,  and  said,  '  This  is  a  nice  muddle.' 

"  More  we  could  not  get  from  him ;  he  must  sleep  on 
it.  0  suspense  !  you  torture  !  He  had  seen  a  place  he 
thinks  will  suit  us;  it  is  a  bad  omen  his  saying  that  so 
soon  after.  As  I  went  to  bed  I  could  not  help  whisper- 
ing, 'If  he  and  I  are  parted,  so  will  you  and  Jane.'  The 
cruel  boy  answered  me  ovt  loud,  '  Thank  you,  little  girl ; 
that  is  a  temptation,  and  you  have  put  me  on  my  guard.' 

"  Oh,  how  hard  it  is  to  understand  a  man  !  they  are  so 
impracticable  with  their  justice  and  things.  I  came 
away  with  my  cheeks  burning,  and  my  heart  like  a 
stone ;  to  bed,  but  not  to  sleep.  My  poor,  poor,  unhappy, 
noble  Alfred ! 

"  Dec.  27.  Mamma  and  Edward  have  discussed  it : 
they  say  nothing  to  me.  Can  they  have  written  to  him  ? 
I  go  about  my  duties  like  a  ghost,  and  pray  for  submis- 
sion to  the  Divine  Will. 

"Dec.  28.  To-day,  as  I  was  reading  by  main  force  to 
Mrs.  Eagleton's  sick  girl,  came  Sarah  all  in  a  hurry 
with,  I  was  wanted,  miss.  But  I  ivould  finish  my  chap- 
ter, and  oh,  how  hard  the  Devil  tried  to  make  me  gabble 
it!  so  I  clenched  my  teeth  at  him,  and  read  it  as  if  I 
was  spelling  it ;  and  then  didn't  1  fly  ? 

"He  was  there,  and  they  all  sat  waiting  for  me.  I 
w^as  hot  and  cold  all  at  the  same  time,  and  he  rose  and 
bowed  to  me,  and  I  courtesied  to  him,  and  sat  down  and 
took  my  work,  and  didn't  know  one  bit  what  I  was  doing. 

"And  our  new  oracle,  Edward,  laid  down  the  law  like 


HARD  CASH.  443 

anything,  'Look  here,  Hardie,'  said  he,  'if  anybody  but 
you  had  told  us  about  this  fourteen  thousand  pounds,  I 
should  have  set  the  police  on  your  governor  before  now. 
But  it  seems  to  me  a  shabby  thing  to  attack  a  father  on 
the  son's  information,  especially  when  it's  out  of  love  for 
one  of  us  he  has  denounced  his  own  flesh  and  blood.' 

" '  No,  no,'  said  Alfred,  eagerly,  '  out  of  love  of 
justice.' 

" '  Ah,  you  think  so,  my  fine  fellow,  but  you  would  not 
have  done  it  for  a  stranger,'  said  Edward.  Then  he 
went  on :  '  Of  all  blunders,  the  worst  is  to  fall  between 
two  stools;  look  here,  mamma;  we  decide,  for  the  son's 
sake,  not  to  attack  the  father;  after  that  it  would  be 
very  inconsistent  to  turn  the  cold  shoulder  to  the  son. 
Another  thing,  who  suffers  most  by  this  fraud  ?  why,  the 
man  that  marries  Julia.'  Alfred  burst  out  impetuously, 
*0h,  prove  that  to  me,  and  let  me  be  that  sufferer.' 
Edward  turned  calmly  to  mamma :  '  If  the  fourteen  thou- 
sand pounds  was  in  our  hands,  what  should  you  do 
with  it  ? ' 

"  The  dear  thing  said  she  should  settle  at  least  ten 
thousand  of  it  on  me,  and  marry  me  to  this  poor  mother- 
less boy,  '  whom  I  have  learned  to  lov^e  myself,'  said 
she. 

"  '  There,'  said  Edward,  '  you  see  it  is  you  who  lose  by 
your  governor's  —  I  won't  say  what  —  if  you  marry  my 
sister.' ' 

"Alfred  took  his  hand  and  said,  'God  bless  you  for 
telling  me  this.' 

"  Then  Edward  turned  to  mamma  and  me,  and  said, 
'  This  poor  fellow  has  left  his  father's  house  because  he 
wronged  us :  then  this  house  ought  to  open  its  arms  to 
him :  that  is  only  justice  ;  but  now  to  be  just  to  our  side ; 
I  have  been  to  Mr.  Crawford,  the  lawyer,  and  I  find  this 
Hardie  junior  has   ten   thousand  pounds   of   his   own. 


444  HAUD   CASH. 

That  ought  to  be  settled  on  Julia,  to  make  up  for  what 
she  loses  by  Hardie  senior's  —  I  won't  say  what.' 

" '  If  anybody  settles  any  of  their  trash  on  me,  I'll 
beat  them,  and  throw  it  in  the  lire,'  said  I;  'and  I  hate 
money.' 

"  The  oracle  asked  me  directly  did  I  hate  clothes  and 
food,  and  charit}''  to  the  poor,  and  cleanliness,  and 
decency  ?  Then  I  didn't  hate  money,  '  for  none  of  these 
things  can  exist  without  money,  you  little  romantic  hum- 
bug ;  you  shut  up  ! ' 

"  Mamma  rebuked  him  for  his  expressions,  but  approved 
his  sentiments.  But  I  did  not  care  for  his  sentiments, 
for  he  smiled  on  me  and  said,  '■  We  two  are  of  one  mind ; 
we  shall  transfer  our  fortune  to  Captain  Dodd,  whom  my 
father  has  robbed.  Julia  will  consent  to  share  my  honest 
poverty.' 

" '  Well,  we  will  talk  about  that,'  said  Edward  pomp- 
ously. 

" '  Talk  about  it  without  me,  then ! '  I  cried,  and  got 
up,  and  marched  out,  indignant;  only  it  was  partly  my 
low  cunning  to  hide  my  face  that  I  could  not  keep  the 
rapture  out  of.  And,  as  soon  as  I  had  retired  with  cold 
dignity,  off  I  skipped  into  the  garden  to  let  my  face 
loose,  and  I  think  they  sent  him  after  me :  for  I  heard 
his  quick  step  behind  me :  so  I  ran  away  from  him  as 
hard  as  I  could ;  so  of  course  he  soon  caught  me  in  the 
shrubbery  where  he  first  asked  me  to  be  his ;  and  he 
kissed  both  my  hands  again  and  again  like  wildfire,  as 
he  is,  and  he  said,  '  You  are  right,  dearest ;  let  them  talk 
of  their  trash  while  I  tell  you  how  I  adore  you ;  poverty 
with  you  will  be  the  soul's  wealth;  even  misfortune,  by 
your  side,  would  hardly  be  misfortune ;  let  all  the  world 
go,  and  let  you  and  I  be  one,  and  live  together,  and  die 
together ;  for  now  ]  see  I  could  not  have  lived  without 
you,  nor  without  your  love.'     And  I  whispered  something 


HARD   CASH.  445 

on  his  shoulder,  no  matter  what;  what  signifies  the 
cackle  of  a  goose  ?  and  we  mingled  our  happy  tears,  and 
our  hearts,  and  our  souls.  Ah,  love  is  a  sweet,  a  dread- 
ful passion;  what  we  two  have  gone  through  for  one 
another  in  a  few  months  !  He  dined  with  us,  and  Edward 
and  he  sat  a  long,  long  time  talking;  I  dare  say  it  was 
only  about  their  odious  money ;  still  I  envied  Edward 
having  him  so  long.  But  at  last  he  came  up,  and 
devoured  me  with  his  lovely  gray  eyes,  and  I  sang  liim 
*  Aileen  Aroon,'  and  he  whispered  things  in  my  ear ;  oh ! 
such  sweet,  sweet,  idiotic,  darling  things;  I  will  not 
part  with  even  the  shadow  of  one  of  them  by  putting  it 
on  paper,  only  I  am  the  blessedest  creature  in  all  the 
world,  and  I  only  hope  to  goodness  it  is  not  very  wicked 
to  be  so  happy  as  I  am. 

"  Dec.  31.  It  is  all  settled.  Alfred  returns  to  Oxford 
to  make  up  for  lost  time,  the  time  spent  in  construing 
me  instead  of  Greek;  and  at  the  end  of  term  he  is  to 
come  of  age  and  marry —  somebody.  Marriage  !  what  a 
word  to  put  down !  It  makes  me  tingle ;  it  thrills  me ; 
it  frightens  me  deliciously,  no,  not  deliciously,  anything 
but:  for  suppose,  being  both  of  us  fiery,  and  they  all  say 
one  of  them  ought  to  be  cold-blooded  for  a  pair  to  be 
happy ;  I  should  make  him  a  downright  bad  wife.  Why, 
then,  I  hope  I  shall  die  in  a  year  or  two  out  of  my  dar- 
ling's way,  and  let  him  have  a  good  one  instead.  I'd 
come  back  from  the  grave  and  tear  her  to  pieces. 

"Jan.  4.  Found  a  saint  in  a  garret  over  a  stable. 
Took  her  my  luncheon  clandestinely ;  that  is  ladylike 
for  '  under  my  apron,'  and  was  detected  and  expostulated 
by  Ned.  He  took  me  into  his  studio  —  it  is  carpeted 
with  shavings  —  and  showed  me  the  'Tiser  digest,  an 
enormous  book  he  has  made  of  newspaper  cuttings  all 
in  apple-pie  order;  and  out  of  this  authority  he  proved 
vice  and  poverty  abound  most  wherever  there  are  most 


446  HAED   CASH. 

charities.  Oh,  and  Hlie  poor'  a  set  of  intoxicated 
sneaks,  and  me  a  demoralizing  influence.  It  is  all  very 
fine,  but  why  are  there  saints  in  garrets,  and  half- 
starved  ?  that  rouses  all  my  evil  passions,  and  I  cannot 
bear  it ;  it  is  no  use. 

"  Jan.  6.  Once  a  gay  day,  but  now  a  sad  one.  ]\ramma 
gone  to  see  poor  papa,  where  he  is.  Alfred  found  me 
sorrowful,  and  rested  my  forehead  on  his  shoulder ;  that 
soothed  me  while  it  lasted.  I  think  I  should  like  to 
grow  there.  Mem. :  to  burn  this  diary,  and  never  let  a 
creature  see  a  syllable. 

"  As  soon  as  he  was  gone,  prayed  earnestly  on  my 
knees  not  to  make  an  idol  of  him.  For  it  is  our  poor 
idols  that  are  destroyed  for  our  weakness,  which,  really, 
I  cannot  quite  see  the  justice  of. 

"  Jan.  8.  Jane  does  not  approve  my  proposal  that  we 
should  praise  now  and  then  at  the  same  hour  instead  of 
always  praying.  The  dear  girl  sends  me  her  unconverted 
diary  '  to  show  me  she  is  "  a  brand." '  I  have  read  most 
of  it.  But  really  it  seems  to  me  she  was  always  good- 
ish,  only  she  went  to  parties,  and  read  novels,  and 
enjoyed  society. 

"  There,  I  have  finished  it.  Oh,  dear,  how  like  her 
MTiconverted  diary  is  to  my  converted  one  ! 

"  Jan.  14.  A  sorrowful  day.  He  and  I  parted,  after  a 
fortnight  of  the  tenderest  affection  and  that  mutual 
respect,  without  which  neither  of  us,  I  think,  could  love 
long.  I  had  resolved  to  be  very  brave ;  but  we  were 
alone ;  and  his  bright  face  looked  so  sad,  the  change  in 
it  took  me  by  surprise,  and  my  resolution  failed  ;  I  clung 
to  him.  If  gentlemen  could  interpret  as  we  can,  he 
would  never  have  left  me.  It  is  better  as  it  is.  He 
kissed  my  tears  away  as  fast  as  they  came  ;  it  was  the 
first  time  he  had  ever  kissed  more  than  my  hand,  so  I 
shall  have  that  to  think  of,  and  his  dear,  promised  let- 


HARD   CASH.  447 

ters ;  but  it  made  me  cry  more  at  the  time,  of  course. 
Some  day,  when  we  have  been  married  years  and  years, 
I  shall  tell  him  not  to  go  and  pay  a  lady  for  every  tear, 
if  he  wants  her  to  leave  off. 

"  The  whole  place  so  gloomy  and  vacant  now. 

"Jan.  20.  Poverty  stares  us  in  the  face.  Edward  says 
we  could  make  a  modest  living  in  London,  and  nobody 
be  the  wiser;  but  here  we  are  known',  and  '■must  be 
ladies  and  gentlemen,  and  fools,'  he  says.  He  has  now 
made  me  seriously  promise  not  to  give  money  and  things 
out  of  the  house  to  the  poor:  it  is  robbing  my  mother 
and  him.  Ah,  now  I  see  it  is  nonsense  to  despise  money ; 
here  I  come  home  sad  from  my  poor  people,  and  I  used 
to  return  warm  all  over.  And  the  poor  old  souls  do  not 
enjoy  my  sermons  half  so  much  as  when  I  gave  them 
nice  things  to  eat  along  with  them. 

"  The  dear  boy,  that  I  always  loved  dearly,  but  admire 
and  love  now  that  he  has  turned  an  intolerable  tyrant, 
and  he  used  to  be  wax,  has  put  down  two  maids  out  of 
our  three,  and  brings  our  dinner  up  himself  in  a  jacket, 
then  puts  on  his  coat  and  sits  down  with  us,  and  we  sigh 
at  him,  and  he  grins  and  derides  us ;  he  does  not  care 
one  straw  for  pomp.  And  mamma  and  I  have  to  dress 
one  another  now,  and  I  like  it. 

"Jan.  30.  He  says  we  may  now,  by  great  economy, 
subsist  honestly  till  my  wedding-day ;  but  then,  mamma 
and  he  must  ^absquatulate.^  Oh,  what  stout  hearts  men 
have.  They  can  jest  at  sorrow  even  when,  in  spite  of 
their  great  thick  skins,  they  feel  it.  Ah,  the  real  poor 
are  happy ;  they  marry,  and  need  not  leave  the  parish 
where  their  mother  lives. 

"  Feb.  4.  A  kind  and  most  delicate  letter  from  Jane. 
She  says,  'Papa  and  I  are  much  grieved  at  Captain 
.Dodd's  affliction,  and  deeply  concerned  at  your  loss  by 
the  bank.     Papa  has  asked  Uncle  Thomas  for  two  hun- 


448  HARD   CASH. 

dred  pounds,  and  I  entreat  you  to  oblige  me  by  receiving 
it  at  my  hands,  and  applying  it  according  to  the  dictates 
of  your  own  affectionate  heart.' 

''Actually,  our  viceroy  will  not  let  me  take  it;  he  says 
he  will  not  accept  a  crumb  from  the  man  who  owes  us  a 
loaf. 

"  Feb.  8.  Jane  mortified,  and  no  wonder.  If  she  knew 
how  very  poor  we  are,  she  would  be  surprised  as  well. 
I  have  implored  her  not  to  take  it  to  heart,  for  that  all 
will  be  explained  one  day,  and  she  will  see  we  could  not. 

"  His  dear  letters !  I  feed  on  them.  We  have  no 
secrets,  no  two  minds.  He  is  to  be  a  first-class,  and 
then  a  private  tutor.  Our  money  is  to  go  to  mamma;  it 
is  he  and  I  that  are  to  work  our  fingers  to  the  bone  (I 
am  so  happy!),  and  never  let  them  be  driven  by  injust- 
ice from  their  home.  But  all  this  is  a  great  secret. 
The  viceroy  will  be  defeated,  only  I  let  him  talk  till 
Alfred  is  here  to  back  me.  No,  it  is  not  just  the  right- 
ful owner  of  fourteen  thousand  pounds  should  be  poor. 

"  How  shallow  female  education  is :  I  was  always  led 
to  suppose  modesty  is  the  highest  virtue.  No  such 
thing !  Justice  is  the  queen  of  the  virtues.  He  is 
justice  incarnate. 

"March  10.  On  reperusing  this  diary,  it  is  demoral- 
izing, very :  it  feeds  self.  Of  all  the  detestable  compo- 
sitions !  Me,  me,  me,  from  one  end  to  another ;  for  when 
it  is  not  about  myself  it  is  about  Alfred,  and  that  it  is 
my  he-me  though  not  my  she-one.  So  now  to  turn  over 
a  new  leaf :  from  this  day  I  shall  record  only  the  things 
that  happen  in  this  house,  and  what  my  betters  say  to 
we,  not  what  I  say,  and  the  texts  and  outline  of  the 
sermons,  and  Jane's  Christian  admonitions." 

Before  a  resolve  so  virtuous  all  impure  spirits  retire, 
taking  off  tlieir  hats,  and  bowiug  down  to  the  very 
ground,  but  apprehending  small  beer. 


HARD   CASH.  443 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

EXTRACTS    FROM    JANE    HARDIE's    DIARY. 

"March  3.  In  my  district  again,  the  first  time  since 
my  illness,  from  which  I  am  indeed  but  half  recov^ered. 
Spoke  faithfully  to  Mrs.  B.  about  her  infidel  husband; 
told  her  not  to  try  and  talk  to  liim,  but  to  talk  to  God 
about  him.  Gave  her  my  tract,  '  A  quiet  heart.'  Came 
home  tired.  Prayed  to  be  used  to  sharpen  the  sickles 
of  other  reapers. 

"  March  4.  At  St.  Philip's  to  hear  the  bishop.  In  the 
midst  of  an  excellent  sermon  on  Gen.  i.  2,  he  came  out 
with  the  waters  of  baptism,  to  my  horror ;  he  disclaimed 
the  extravagant  view  some  of  them  take,  then  hankered 
after  what  he  denied,  and  then  partly  unsaid  that,  too. 
While  the  poor  man  was  trimming  his  sails,  I  slunk 
behind  a  pillar  in  the  corner  of  my  pew,  and  fell  on  my 
knees,  and  prayed  «  against  the  stream  of  poison  flowing 
on  the  congregation.  Oh,  I  felt  like  Jeremiah  in  his 
dungeon. 

"  In  the  evening  papa  forbade  me  to  go  to  church 
again  ;  said  the  wind  was  too  cold.  I  kissed  him,  and 
went  up  to  my  room  and  put  my  head  between  the 
pillows  not  to  hear  the  bells.     Prayed  for  poor  &  Alfred. 

"  March  5.  Sadly  disappointed  in  J.  D.  I  did  hope 
he  was  imbittering  the  world  to  her  by  degrees.  But 
for  some  time  past  she  writes  in  ill-concealed  spirits. 

"Another  friend,  after  seeking  rest  in  the  world,  is 
now  seeking  it  in  ritualism.  May  both  be  drawn  from 
their  rotten  reeds  to  the  cross  ! 


450  HARD  CASH. 

And,  oh,  this  moral  may  my  heart  retain. 
All  hopes  of  happiness  on  earth  are  vain. 


"  March  6.  The  cat  is  out  of  the  bag.  She  is  corre- 
sponding with  Alfred,  indeed  she  makes  no  secret  of  it. 
Wrote  her  a  c  faithful  letter.  Received  a  short  reply, 
saying  I  had  made  her  unhappy,  and  begging  me  to  sus- 
pend my  judgment  till  she  could  undeceive  me  without 
giving  me  too  much  pain.     What  mystery  is  this  ? 

"  March  7.  Alfred  announces  his  unalterable  determin- 
ation to  marry  Julia.  I  read  the  letter  to  papa  directly. 
He  was  silent  for  a  long  time,  and  then  said,  '  All  the 
worse  for  both  of  them.'  It  was  all  I  could  do  to  sup- 
press a  thrill  of  carnal  complacency  at  the  thought  this 
might  in  time  pave  the  way  to  another  union.  Even  to 
think  of  that  now  is  a  sin.  1  Cor.  vii.  20-4  plainly  shows 
that  whatever  position  ^  of  life  we  are  placed  in,  there 
it  is  our  duty  to  abide.  A  child,  for  instance,  is  placed 
in  subjection  to  her  parents,  and  must  not  leave  them 
without  their  consent. 

"  March  8.  Sent  two  cups  of  cold  water  to  two  fellow- 
pilgrims  of  mine  on  the  way  to  Jerusalem ;  viz.,  to  E.  H., 
Rom.  viii.  1 ;  to  Mrs.  M.,  Phil.  ii.  27. 

"Prayed  for  increase  of  humility.  I  am  so  afraid  my 
great  success  e  in  His  vineyard  has  seduced  me  into  feel- 
ing as  if  there  was  a  spring  of  living  water  in  myself, 
instead  of  every  drop  being  derived  from  the  true  fountain. 

"March  9.  Dr.  Wycherley  closeted  two  hours  with 
papa ;  papa  had  sent  for  him,  I  find.  What  is  it  makes 
me  think  that  man  is  no  true  friend  to  Alfred  in  his 
advice  ?  I  don't  like  these  roundabout  speakers.  The> 
lively  oracles  are  not  roundabout. 

"March  10.    My  beloved   friend   and   fellow-laborer, 

Charlotte  D ,  ruptured  a  blood-vessel «  at  three  p.m., 

and  was  conveyed  in  the  chariots  of  angels  to  the  heav- 


HARD   CASH.  451 

enly  banqueting-house,  to  go  no  more  out.  ]May  I  be 
found  watching. 

"  March  11.  Dreadfully  starved  with  these  afternoon 
sermons.  If  they  go  on  like  this,  I  really  viust  stay  at 
home  and  feed  upon  the  Word. 

"March  12.  Alfred  has  written  to  his  trustees,  and 
announced  his  coming  marriage,  and  told  them  he  is 
going  to  settle  all  his  money  upon  the  Dodds.  Papa 
quite  agitated  by  this  news;  it  did  not  come  from  Alfred; 
one  of  the  trustees  wrote  to  papa.  Oh,  the  blessing  of 
Heaven  will  never  rest  on  this  unnatural  marriage. 
Wrote  a  faithful  letter  to  Alfred  Avhile  papa  was  writ- 
ing to  our  trustee. 

'•  March  13.  My  book  on  Solomon's  Song  now  ready 
for  publication;  but  it  is  so  difficult  nowadays  to  find 
a  publisher  for  such  a  subject.  The  rage  is  for  senti- 
mental sermons,  or  else  for  fiction/ under  a  thin  disguise 
of  religious  biography. 

•'  March  14.  Mr.  Plummer,  of  whose  zeal  and  unction  I 
had  heard  so  much,  was  in  the  town,  and  heard  of  me, 
and  came  to  see  me  by  appointment  just  after  luncheon. 
Such  a  sweet  meeting.  He  came  in  and  took  my  hand, 
and  in  that  posture  prayed  that  the  Holy  Spirit  might 
be  with  us  to  make  our  conversation  profitable  to  us,  and 
redound  to  His  glory.  Poor  man,  his  wife  leads  him  a 
cat-and-dog  life,  I  hear,  with  her  jealousy.  We  had  a 
siveet  talk.  He  admires  Canticles  almost  as  much  as  I 
do,2  and  has  promised  to  take  my  book  and  get  it  cast 
on  the  Lord  .7  for  me. 

"March  15.  To  i^lease,  one  must  not  be  faithful./^  Miss 
L.,  after  losing  all  her  relations,  and  at  thirty  years  of 
age,  is  to  be  married  next  week.  She  came  to  me  and 
gushed  out  about  the  blessing  of  having  at  last  one 
earthly  friend  to  Avhom  she  could  confide  everything. 
On  this  I  felt  it  my  duty  to  remind  her  she  might  lose 


452  HARD   CASH. 

him  by  death,  and  then  what  a  blank !  and  I  was  going 
on  to  detach  her  from  the  arm  of  flesh,  when  she  burst 
out  crying  and  left  me  abruptly ;  couldn't  bear  the  truth, 
poor  woman. 

"  In  the  afternoon  met  him  and  bowed,  and  longed  to 
speak,  but  thought  it  my  duty  not  to ;  cried  bitterly  on 
reaching  home. 

"March  17.  Transcribed  all  the^  texts  on  Solomon's 
Song.  It  seems  to  be  the  way  HeJ  has  marked  out  for 
me  to  serve  Him. 

"  March  19.    Received  this  letter  from  Alfred :  — 

Dear  Jane,  —  I  send  you  a  dozen  kisses  and  a  jMece  of 
advice :  learn  more,  teach  less ;  study  more,  preach  less ;  and 
don't  be  in  such  a  hurr}'  to  judge  and  condemn  your  intellectual 
and  moral  superiors  on  insufficient  information. 
Your  atrectiouate  brother, 

Alfred. 

A  poor  return  for  me  loving  his  soul  as  my  own.  I  do 
but  advise  him  the  self-denial  I  myself  pursue.  Woe  be 
to  him  if  he  rejects  it. 

"  March  20.  A  perverse  reply  from  J.  D.  I  had  pro- 
posed we  should  plead  for  our  parents  at  the  throne. 
She  says  she  fears  that  might  seem  like  assuming  the 
office  of  the  mediator,  and,  besides,  her  mother  is  nearer 
heaven  than  she  is.  What  blindness !  I  don't  know  a 
more  thoroughly  unhealthy  mind  than  poor  Mrs.^  Dodd's. 
I  am  learning  to  pray  walking.  Got  this  idea  from  Mr. 
Plummer.  How  closely  he  walks  !  His  mind  so  exactly 
suits  mine. 

"  March  22.  Alfred  returned.  Went  to  meet  him  at 
the  station.  How  bright  and  handsome  he  looked !  He 
kissed  nie  so  affectionately,  and  was  as  kind  and  loving 
as  could  be.  I,  poor  unfaithful  wretch,  went  hanging  m  on 
his  arm,  and  had  not  the  heart  to  dash  his  carnal  happi- 
ness just  then. 


HARD   CASH.  453 

"He  is  gone  there. 

"  March  24.  Stole  into  Alfred's  lodging  when  he  was 
out;  and,  after  prayer,  pinned  Deut.  xxvii.  16,  Prov.  xiii. 
1  and  XV.  5,  and  Mark  vii.  10,  upon  his  bed-curtains. 

'*  March  25.  Alfred  has  been  in  my  room,  and  nailed 
Matt.  vii.  1,  Mark  x.  7,  and  Ezek.  xviii.  20  on  my  wall. 
He  found  my  diary,  and  has  read  it,  not  to  profit  by,  alas  ! 
but  to  scoff." 

[Specimen  of  Alfred's  comments.  N.B.  —  Fraternal 
criticism. 

a.  Nolo  Ejpiscopari. 

b.  It's  an  ill  wind  that  blows  nobody  good. 

d.  The  old  trick  :  picking  one  text,  straining  it,  and 
ignoring  six.  So  then  nobody  who  is  not  born  married, 
must  get  married. 

e.  Recipe.  To  know  people's  real  estimate  of  them- 
selves, study  their  language  of  self-depreciation.  If, 
even  when  they  undertake  to  lower  themselves,  they 
cannot  help  insinuating  self-praise,  be  sure  their  humil- 
ity is  a  puddle,  their  vanity  is  a  well.  This  sentence  is 
typical  of  the  whole  diary,  or  rather  lary ;  it  sounds 
Publican,  smells  Pharisee. 

X.  How  potent  a  thing  is  language  in  the  hand  of  a 
master !  Here  is  sudden  death  made  humorous  by  a  few 
incongruous  phrases  neatly  disposed. 

/.  Excuse  me,  there  is  still  a  little  market  for  the 
liquefaction  of  Holy  Writ,  and  the  perversion  of  Holy 
Writ ;  two  deathless  arts,  which  meet  in  your  comment 
on  the  song  you  ascribe  to  Solomon. 

z.    More  than  Mrs.  Plummer  does,  apparently. 

g.  Apotheosis  of  the  British  public.  How  very  like 
profaneness  some  people's  piety  is  ! 

c.  h.  Faith,  with  this  school,  means  anything  the  oppo- 
site of  charity, 

i.   You  are  morally  truthful,  but  intellectually  menda- 


454  HARD   CASH. 

cious.  The  texts  on  Solomon's  Song !  You  know  very 
well  there  is  not  one.  No  grave  writer  in  all  Scripture 
has  ever  deigned  to  cite  or  notice  that  coarse  composition : 
puellamm  delicice. 

j.  Modest  periphrasis  for  "  I  like  it."  Motto  for  this 
diary,  "  £^go,  et  Deus  mens." 

k.  In  other  words,  a  good,  old-fashioned,  sober,  humble 
Christian,  to  whom  the  daring  familiarities  of  your  school 
seem  blasphemies. 

m.  Here  I  recognize  my  sister;  somewhat  spoiled  by 
a  detestable  sect,  but  lovable  by  nature  (which  she  is  for- 
ever abusing),  and  therefore  always  amiable,  when  off 
her  guard.] 

"March  28.  Mr.  Crawford  the  attorney  called,  and  told 
papa  his  son  had  instructed  him  to  examine  the  trust- 
deed,  and  to  draw  his  marriage  settlement.  Papa  treated 
him  with  the  greatest  civility,  and  brought  him  the  deed. 
He  wanted  to  take  it  away  to  copy,  but  papa  said  he  had 
better  send  a  clerk  here.  Poor  papa  hid  his  distress 
from  this  gentleman,  though  not  from  me,  and  gave  him 
a  glass  of  wine. 

"  Then  Mr.  Crawford  chatted,  and  let  out  Alfred  had 
asked  him  to  advance  a  hundred  pounds  for  the  wedding 
presents,  etc.  Papa  said  he  might  do  so  with  perfect 
safety. 

"But  the  moment  he  was  gone,  his  whole  manner 
changed.  He  walked  about  in  terrible  anger  and  agita- 
tion, and  then  sat  down  and  wrote  letters ;  one  was  to 
Uncle  Thomas,  and  one  to  a  Mr.  Wycherley,  T  believe  a 
brother  of  the  doctor's.  I  never  knew  him  so  long  writ- 
ing two  letters  before. 

"  Heard  a  noise  in  the  road,  and  it  was  Mr.  Maxley 
and  the  boys  after  him  hooting;  they  have  found  out 
his  infirmity.  What  a  savage  animal  is  man,  till  grace 
changes  him  !     The  poor  soul  had  a  stick,  and  now  and 


HARD   CASH.  455 

then  turned  and  struck  at  them;  but  his  tormentors  were 
too  nimble.  I  drew  papa  to  the  window,  and  showed 
him,  and  reminded  him  of  the  poor  man's  request.  He 
answered  impatiently,  what  was  that  to  him  ?  '  We  have 
a  worse  case  nearer  hand.  Charity  begins  at  home.'  I 
ventured  to  say  yes,  but  it  did  not  begin  and  end  at 
home. 

"  March  31.  Mr.  Osmond  here  to-day ;  and,  over  my 
work,  I  heard  papa  tell  him  Alfred  is  blackening  his 
character  in  the  town  with  some  impossible  story  about 
fourteen  thousand  pounds.  Mr.  Osmond  very  kind  and 
sympathizing;  set  it  all  down  to  illusion;  assured  papa 
there  was  neither  malice  nor  insincerity  in  it.  '  But 
what  the  better  am  I  for  that  ? '  said  poor  papa,  '  if  I 
am  slandered,  I  am  slandered.'  And  they  went  out  to- 
gether. 

"Papa  seems  to  feel  this  engagement  more  than  all 
his  troubles,  and,  knowing  by  sad  experience  it  is  useless 
to  expostulate  with  Alfred,  I  wrote  a  long  and  faithful 
letter  to  Julia  just  before  luncheon,  putting  it  to  her  as 
a  Christian  whether  she  could  reconcile  it  to  her  profes- 
sion to  set  a  son  against  his  father,  and  marry  him  in 
open  defiance. 

"  She  replied,  three  p.m.,  that  her  mother  approved  the 
marriage,  and  she  owed  no  obedience,  nor  affection  either, 
to  riuj  parent. 

"Three-thirty,  sent  back  a  line  rebuking  her  for  this 
quibble, 

"At  five  received  a  note  from  Mrs.  Dodd  proposing 
that  the  correspondence  between  myself  and  her  daughter 
should  cease  for  the  present. 

"Five-thirty, retorted  with  an  amendment  that  it  should 
cease /orever.  No  reply.  Such  are  worldlings!  Remon- 
strance only  galls  them.  And  so  in  one  afternoon's  cor- 
respondence ends  one  more  of  my  Christian  friendships 


456  HARD  CASH. 

with  persons  of  my  own  sex.  This  is  the  eighth  to 
which  a  carnal  attacliment  has  been  speedily  fatal. 

"In  the  evening  Alfred  came  in  looking  very  red,  and 
asked  me  whether  it  was  not  self-reliant  and  uncharita- 
ble of  me  to  condemn  so  many  estimable  persons,  all 
better  acquainted  with  the  circumstances  than  I  am.  I 
replied  with  the  fifth  commandment.  He  bit  his  lip  and 
said,  'We  had  better  not  meet  again,  until  you  have 
found  out  which  is  worthiest  of  honor,  your  father  or 
your  brother.'  And  with  this  he  left  abruptly,  and  some- 
thing tells  me  I  shall  not  see  him  again.  My  faithful- 
ness has  wounded  him  to  the  quick.  Alas  !  Prayed  for 
him,  and  cried  myself  to  sleep. 

"April  4.  Met  him  disguised  as  a  common  workman, 
and  carrying  a  sackful  of  things.  I  was  so  shocked,  I 
could  not  maintain  my  resolution  ;  I  said,  '0  Mr.  Edward, 
what  are  you  doing  ?  '  He  blushed  a  little,  but  told  me 
he  was  going  to  sell  some  candlesticks  and  things  of  his 
making,  and  he  should  get  a  better  price  in  that  dress ; 
all  traders  looked  on  a  gentleman  as  a  thing  made  to  be 
pillaged.  Then  he  told  me  he  was  going  to  turn  them 
into  a  bonnet  and  a  wreath ;  and  his  beautiful  brown  eyes 
sparkled  with  affection.  What  egotistical  creatures  they 
must  be !  I  was  quite  overcome,  and  said,  '  Oh,  why 
did  he  refuse  our  offer  ?  Did  he  hate  me  so  very  much 
that  he  would  not  even  take  his  due  from  my  hand?'  — 
'No,'  he  said,  '  nobody  in  our  house  is  so  unjust  to  you  as 
to  hate  you.  My  sister  honors  you,  and  is  very  sorry  you 
think  ill  of  her ;  and  as  for  me,  I  love,  you  know  how  I 
love  you.'  I  hid  my  face  in  my  hands,  and  sobbed  out, 
'Oh!  you  must  not,  you  must  not;  my  poor  father  has 
one  disobedient  child  already.'  He  said  softly,  'Don't 
cry,  dear  one ;  have  a  little  patience  ;  perhaps  the  clouds 
will  clear,  and,  meantime,  why  think  so  ill  of  us  ?  Con- 
sider, we  are  four  in  number,  of  different  dispositions, 


HARD   CASH.  457 

yet  all  of  one  mind  about  Julia  marrying  Alfred.  May 
we  not  be  right  ?  may  we  not  know  something  we  love 
you  too  well  to  tell  3'ou  ? '  His  words  and  his  rich  manly 
voice  were  so  soothing.  I  gave  him  just  one  hand  while 
I  still  hid  my  burning  face  with  the  other;  he  kissed  the 
hand  I  yielded  him,  and  left  me  abruptly. 

"  If  Alfred  should  be  right !  I  am  staggered  now ;  he 
puts  it  so  much  more  convincingly. 

"  April  5.  A  letter  from  Alfred  announcing  his  wed- 
ding by  special  license  for  the  11th. 

"  Made  no  reply.     What  coxdd  I  say  ? 

"Papa,  on  my  reading  it  out,  left  his  very  breakfast 
half  finished,  and  packed  up  his  bag  and  rushed  up  to 
London.  I  caught  a  side  view  of  his  face,  and  I  am  mis- 
erable. Such  a  new,  such  a  terrible  expression !  a  vile 
expression !  Heaven  forgive  me,  it  seemed  the  look 
of  one  who  meditated  a  crime." 


458  HARD  CASH. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

The  spirit  of  dissension  in  Musgrove  Cottage  pene- 
trated to  the  very  kitchen.  Old  Betty  sided  with  Alfred, 
and  combated  in  her  place  the  creed  of  the  parlor. 
"  Why,  according  to  miss,  the  young  sparrows  are  bound 
never  to  fly  out  of  the  nest,  or  else  have  the  Bible  flung 
at  'em.  She  do  go  on  about  God's  will ;  seems  to  me 
'tis  His  will  the  world  should  be  peopled  by  body  and 
beast,  —  which  they  are  both  His  creatures  —  and,  by 
the  same  toaken,  if  they  don't  marry  they  does  wus. 
Certainly  whilst  a  young  man  bides  at  home,  it  behoves 
him  to  be  dutiful :  but  that  ain't  to  say  he  is  to  bide  at 
home  forever.  Master  Alfred's  time  is  come  to  leave 
we,  and  be  master  in  a  house  of  his  own,  as  his  father 
done  before  him,  which  he  forgets  that  now  ;  he  is  grown 
to  man's  estate,  and  got  his  mother's  money,  and  no  more 
bound  to  our  master  than  I  be."  She  said,  too,  that 
"  parting  blights  more  quarrels  than  it  breeds  ; "  and 
she  constantly  invited  Peggy  to  speak  up,  and  gainsay 
her.  But  Peggy  was  a  young  woman  with  white  eye- 
lashes, and  given  to  looking  down,  and  not  to  speaking 
up ;  she  was  always  watching  Mr.  Hardie  in  company, 
like  a  cat  cream,  and  hovering  about  him  when  alone. 
Betty  went  so  far  as  to  accuse  her  of  colloguing  with 
him  against  Alfred,  and  of  "  setting  her  cap  at  master," 
which  accusation  elicited  no  direct  reply,  but  stinging 
innuendoes  hours  after. 

Now,  if  one  looks  into  the  thing,  the  elements  of  dis- 
cord had  attacked  Albion  Villa  quite  as  powerfully  as 
Musgrove  Cottage,  but  had  hitherto  failed  signally ;  the 


HARD   CASH.  459 

mutual  affection  of  the  Dodds  was  so  complete,  and  no 
unprincipled  person  among  them  to  split  the  good. 

And,  now  that  the  wedding  di-ew  near,  there  was  but 
one  joyful  heart  within  the  walls,  though  the  others 
were  too  kind  and  unselfish  to  throw  cold  water.  Mrs. 
Dodd's  own  wedding  had  ended  in  a  piteous  separation, 
and  now  to  part  with  her  darling  child  and  launch  her 
on  the  uncertain  waves  of  matrimony  !  She  heaved 
many  a  sigh  when  alone,  but  as  there  were  no  bounds  to 
her  maternal  love,  so  there  were  no  exceptions  to  her 
politeness ;  over  her  aching  heart  she  forced  on  a  wed- 
ding face,  subdued  but  hopeful,  for  her  daughter,  as  she 
would  for  any  other  young  lady  about  to  be  married 
beneath  her  roof. 

It  wanted  but  six  days,  when  one  morning  after  break- 
fast the  bereaved  wife  and  mother,  about  to  be  deserted, 
addressed  her  son  and  viceroy  thus  :  "  Edward,  we  must 
borrow  fifty  pounds." 

"  Fifty  pounds  ?  what  for  ?  who  wants  that  ?  " 

"Why,  /want  it,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd,  stoutly. 

"  Oh,  if  you  want  it  —  what  to  do,  please  ?  " 

"  Why,  to  buy  her  wedding  clothes,  dear." 

"  I  thought  what  her  '  I '  would  come  to,"  said  Julia, 
reproachfully. 

Edward  shook  his  head,  and  said,  "  He  who  goes 
a-borrowing  goes  a-sorrowing." 

"  But  she  is  not  a  he,"  objected  Mrs.  Dodd,  Avith  the 
subtlety  of  a  schoolman;  "and  whoever  heard  of  a 
young  lady  being  married  without  some  things  to  be 
married  in  ?  " 

"  Well,  I've  heard  nudity  is  not  the  cheese  on  public 
occasions  ;  but  why  not  go  dressed  like  a  lady  as  she 
always  does,  only  with  white  gloves,  and  be  married 
without  any  bother  and  nonsense  ?  " 

"  You  talk  like  a  boy,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd.     "  I  could  not 


460  HARD   CASH. 

bear  it.  My  poor  child !  "  and  she  cast  a  look  of  tender- 
est  pity  on  the  proposed  victim.  "Well,  suppose  we 
make  the  poor  child  the  judge,"  suggested  Edward.  He 
then  put  it  to  Julia  whether,  under  the  circumstances, 
she  would  wish  them  to  run  in  debt,  buying  her  finery 
to  wear  for  a  day.  "  It  was  not  fair  to  ask  A^r,"  said 
Mrs.  Dodd  with  a  sigh. 

Julia  blushed  and  hesitated,  and  said  she  would  be 
candid,  and  then  stopped. 

"Ugh!"  ejaculated  Edward.  "This  is  a  bad  begin- 
ning. Girl's  candor  !  Now  for  a  masterpiece  of  du- 
plicity." 

Julia  inquired  how  he  dared ;  and  Mrs.  Dodd  said 
warmly  that  Julia  was  not  like  other  people,  she  could 
be  candid  :  had  actually  done  it,  more  than  once,  within 
her  recollection.  The  young  lady  justified  the  excep- 
tion as  follows  :  "  If  I  was  going  to  be  married  to  myself, 
or  to  some  gentleman  I  did  not  care  for,  I  would  not 
spend  a  shilling.  But  I  am  going  to  marry  him  ;  and 
so  —  0  Edward,  think  of  them  saying,  'What  has  he 
married  ?  a  dowdy  :  why,  she  hadn't  new  things  on  to 
go  to  church  with  him,  —  no  bonnet,  no  wreath,  no  new 
white  dress  ! '  To  mortify  him  the  very  first  day  of 
our "  —  The  sentence  remained  unfinished,  but  two 
lovely  eyes  filled  to  the  very  brim  without  running  over, 
and  completed  the  sense,  and  did  the  viceroy's  business 
though  a  brother.  "  Why,  you  dear  little  goose,"  said 
he ;  "  of  course  I  don't  mean  that.  I  have  as  good  as 
got  the  things  we  must  buy ;  and  those  are  a  new- 
bonnet  "  — 

"Ah!" 

"  A  wreath  of  orange  blossoms  "  — 

"  Oh,  you  good  boy  !  " 

"Four  pairs  of  gloves:  two  white  —  one  is  safe  to 
break  —  two  dark,  very  dark,  invisible  green,  or  visible 


HAKD   CASH.  461 

black  ;  last  the  honeymoon.  All  the  rest  you  must  find 
in  the  house." 

"  What,  fit  her  out  with  a  parcel  of  old  things  ?  Can 
you  be  so  cruel,  so  unreasonable,  dear  Edward  ?  " 

''  Old  things  !  Why,  where  is  all  your  gorgeous  attire 
from  Oriental  climes  ?  I  see  the  splendiferous  articles 
arrive,  and  then  they  vanish  forever." 

"Now,  shawls  and  Indian  muslins  !  pray  what  use  are 
they  to  a  bride  ?  " 

"  W^hy,  what  looks  nicer  than  a  white  muslin  dress  ?  " 

"Married  in  muslin?  The  very  idea  makes  me 
shiver." 

"  Well,  clap  her  on  another  petticoat." 

"  How  can  you  be  so  childish  ?  iMuslin  is  not  the 
thing. '^ 

"  Ko  more  is  running  in  debt." 

He  then  suggested  that  a  white  shawl  or  two  should 
be  cut  into  a  bridal  dress.  A  this  both  ladies'  fair 
throats  opened  on  him  with  ridicule  :  cut  fifty-guinea 
shawls  into  ten-pound  dresses  !  that  was  male  econom}^, 
was  it  ?  Total :  a  wedding  was  a  wedding ;  new  things 
always  had  had  to  be  bought  for  a  wedding,  and  always 
would,  in  secula  seculorum. 

"  Kew  things  ?  Yes,"  said  the  pertinacious  wretch, 
"  but  they  need  not  be  n'^'w-bougl.t  things.  You  ladies 
go  and  confound  the  worl'^'s  eyes  with  your  own  in  the 
drollest  way  :  if  gorgeous  attire  has  lain  long  in  your 
drawers,  you  fancy  t'  e  worl '  will  detect  on  its  glossy 
surface  how  long  you  had  it,  and  gloated  over  it,  and 
made  it  stale  to  your  eye,  before  you  could  bring  your 
mind  to  wear  it.  That  is  your  delusion,  that  and  the 
itch  for  going  out  shopping;  oh,  I'm  down  on  you. 
Mamma,  dear,  you  open  that  gigantic  wardrobe  of  yours, 
and  I'll  oil  my  hair,  whitewash  my  mug  (a  little  moan 
from  Mrs.  D.),  and  do  the  counter-jumping  business  to 


462  HARD   CASH. 

the  life ;  hand  the  things  down  to  you,  unroll  'em,  grin, 
charge  you  a  hundred  per  cent  over  value,  note  them 
down  in  a  penny  memorandum-book,  sing  out  'Caesh'i 
caesh  ! '  etc.,  and  so  we  shall  get  all  Julia  wants,  and  go 
through  the  ritual  of  shopping  without  the  substantial 
disgrace  of  running  in  debt." 

]\[rs.  Dodd  smiled  admiringly,  as  ladies  generally  do 
at  the  sauciness  of  a  young  male,  but  proposed  an 
amendment.  She  would  open  her  wardrobe,  and  look 
out  all  the  contents  for  Edward's  inspection;  and,  if 
the  mere  sight  of  them  did  not  convince  him  they  Avere 
inappropriate  to  a  bride,  why,  then  she  would  coincide 
Avith  his  views,  and  resign  her  own. 

"  All  right,"  said  he.  "  That  will  take  a  jolly  time, 
I  know ;  so  I'll  go  to  my  governor  first  for  the  bonnet 
and  wreath." 

Mrs.  Dodd  drew  in  at  this  last  slang  Avord ;  she 
had  heard  young  gentlemen  apply  it  to  their  fathers. 
Edward,  she  felt  sure,  Avould  not  so  sully  that  sacred 
relation:  still  the  Avord  Avas  obnoxious  for  its  past 
offences,  and  she  froze  at  it.  "  I  have  not  the  honor  to 
know  Avho  the  personage  is  you  so  describe,"  said  she 
formally.  Edward  replied  very  carelessly  that  it  Avas 
an  upholsterer  at  the  north  end  of  the  tOAvn. 

"  Ah,  a  tradesman  you  patronize." 

"Humph!  AVell,  yes,  that  is  the  word,  mamma; 
haAV,  haw !  I  have  been  making  the  bloke  a  lot  of  oak 
candlesticks,  and  human  heads  Avith  sparkling  eyes,  for 
walking-sticks,  etc.  And  now  I'll  go  and  draAV  my  — 
protegees  —  blunt."  The  lady's  hands  Avere  uplifted 
towards  pitying  Heaven  Avith  one  impulse ;  the  young 
Avorkman  grinned.  "  Soyons  de  notre  slecle,''  said  he, 
and  departed  Avhistling  in  the  tenor  clef.  He  had  the 
mellowest  Avhistle. 

After  a  fcAV  minutes  Avell  spent  in  deploring  the  fall 


HARD   CASH.  463 

of  her  Oxonian,  and  gently  denouncing  his  motto,  and 
his  century,  its  ways,  and  above  all  its  words,  Mrs.  Dodd 
took  Julia  to  her  bedroom,  and  unlocked  drawers  and 
doors  in  her  wardrobe ;  and  straightway  Sarah,  who  was 
hurriedly  flogging  the  chairs  with  a  duster,  relaxed,  and 
began  to  work  on  a  cheval-glass  as  slowly  as  if  she  was 
drawing  Nelson's  lions  at  a  thousand  pounds  the  tail. 
Mrs.  Dodd  opened  a  drawer  and  took  out  three  pieces  of 
worked  Indian  muslin,  a  little  disco. ored  by  hoarding. 
"There,  that  must  be  bleached  and  make  you  some 
wrappers  for  the  honeymoon,  if  the  weather  is  at  all 
fine,  and  petticoats  to  match ;  "  next  an  envelope  con- 
sisting of  two  foolscap  sheets  tacked.  This,  carefully 
undone  upon  the  bed,  revealed  a  Brussels  lace  flounce 
and  a  veil.  "  It  was  my  own,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd  softly. 
"  I  saved  it  for  you ;  see,  here  is  your  name  written  on 
it  seventeen  years  ago.  I  thought,  'This  dear  little 
toddler  will  have  wings  some  day,  and  then  she  will 
leave  me.'  But  now  I  am  almost  afraid  to  let  you  wear 
it;  it  might  bring  you  misfortune.  Suppose  after  years 
of  wedded  love  you  should  be  bereaved  of "  —  Mrs. 
Dodd  choked,  and  Julia's  arms  were  round  her  neck  in 
a  moment. 

*'  I'll  risk  it,"  cried  she,  impetuously.  "  If  it  but 
makes  me  as  beloved  as  you  are,  I'll  wear  it  come  weal 
come  woe  !  And  then  I  shall  feel  it  over  me  at  the 
altar  like  my  guardian  angel's  wings,  my  own  sweet, 
darling  mamma.  Oh,  what  an  idiot,  what  a  wretch  I 
am,  to  leave  you  at  all ! " 

This  unfortunate,  unexpected  burst  interrupted  busi- 
ness sadly.  Mrs.  Dodd  sank  down  directly  on  the  bed 
and  wept ;  Julia  cried  over  her,  and  Sarah  plumped  her- 
self down  in  a  chair  and  blubbered.  But  wedding  flow- 
ers are  generally  well  watered  in  the  private  apartments. 

Patient  Mrs.  Dodd  soon  recovered  herself.     "  This  is 


464  HARD   CASH. 

childish  of  me.  When  I  think  that  there  are  mothers 
who  see  their  chiklren  go  from  the  house  corpses,  not 
brides,  I  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  myself.  Come !  a 
Voeuvre.  Ah,  here  is  something."  And  she  produced 
a  white  China  crape  shawl.  "Oh,  how  sweet!"  said 
Julia  ;  "  why  have  you  never  worn  it  ?  " 

"  Dear  me,  child,  what  use  would  things  be  to  those 
I  love,  if  I  went  and  ivore  them  ?  " 

The  next  article  she  laid  her  hand  on  was  a  roll  of 
white  poplin,  and  drew  an  exclamation  from  Mrs.  Dodd 
herself.  "  If  I  had  not  forgotten  this,  and  it  is  the  very 
thing.  Your  dear  papa  bought  me  this  in  London,  and 
I  remonstrated  with  him  well  for  buying  me  such  a  deli- 
cate thing,  only  once  wear.  I  kissed  it  and  put  it  away, 
and  forgot  it.  They  say,  if  you  keep  a  thing  seven 
years  —  it  is  just  seven  years  since  he  gave  it  to  me. 
Really,  the  dear  boy  is  a  witch:  this  is  your  wedding 
dress,  my  precious  precious."  She  unrolled  a  few  yards 
on  the  bed  to  show  it,  and  asked  the  gloating  Sarah,  with 
a  great  appearance  of  consideration,  whether  they  were 
not  detaining  her  from  her  occupations. 

"Oh,  no,  mum.  This  glass  have  got  so  dull;  I'm  just 
polishing  of  it  a  bit.     I  sha'n't  be  a  minute  now,  mum." 

From  silver  tissue  paper  Mrs.  Dodd  evolved  a  dress 
(unmade)  of  white  crape  embroidered  in  true-lover's 
knots  of  violet  silk,  and  ears  of  wheat  in  gold.  Then 
there  was  a  scream  at  the  glass,  and  Sarah  seen  in  it 
with  ten  claws  in  the  air  very  wide  apart ;  she  had  slyly 
turned  the  mirror,  and  was  devouring  the  reflection  of 
the  hnery,  and  this  last  Indian  fabric  overpowered  her. 
Her  exclamation  was  instantly  followed  by  much  polish- 
ing, but  Mrs.  Dodd  replied  to  it  after  the  manner  of  her 
sex  :  "  Well,  it  is  lovely,"  said  she  to  Julia  ;  "  but  where 
is  the  one  with  beetle  wings  ?     Oh,  here." 

"Heal  beetles'  wings,  mamma?"  inquired  Julia. 


HARD   CASH.  4G5 

Yes,  love," 

"  So  they  are,  and  how  wicked  !  and  what  a  lovely 
green !  I  will  never  wear  them ;  they  are  prismatic. 
Now,  if  ever  I  am  to  be  a  Christian,  I  had  better  begin  ; 
everything  has  a  beginning.  Oh,  vanity  of  women,  you 
stick  at  nothing !  A  thousand  innocent  lives  stolen  to 
make  one  dress  ! "  And  she  put  one  hand  before  her 
eyes,  and  with  the  other  ordered  the  dress  back  into  the 
wardrobe  with  genuine  agitation, 

"  My  dear,  what  expressions  !  And  you  need  not  wear 
it ;  indeed  neither  of  them  is  fit  for  that  purpose.  But 
you  must  have  a  pretty  thing  or  two  about  you,  I  have 
hoarded  these  a  good  many  years ;  now  it  is  your  turn  to 
have  them  by  you.  And  let  me  see ;  you  want  a  travel- 
ling cloak :  but  the  dear  boy  will  not  let  us ;  so  choose  a 
warm  shawl." 

A  rich  but  modest  one  was  soon  found,  and  Julia  tried 
it  on,  arching  her  supple  neck,  and  looking  down  over 
her  shoulder  to  see  the  effect  behind,  in  which  attitude, 
oh,  for  an  immortal  brush  to  paint  her,  or  anything  half 
as  bright,  supple,  graceful,  and  every  inch  a  woman !  At 
this  moment  Mrs.  Dodd  threw  a  lovely  blue  Indian  shaAvl 
on  the  bed,  galvanizing  Sarah  so  that  up  went  her  hands 
again,  and  the  door  opened  softly  and  a  handsome  head 
in  a  paper  cap  peeped  on  the  scene,  inquiring  with  mock 
timidity,  "  May  the  '  British  Workman  '  come  in  ?  "  He 
was  invited  warmly  ;  Julia  whipped  his  cap  off,  and  tore 
it  in  two,  reddening,  and  Mrs.  Dodd,  intending  to  compli- 
ment his  foresight,  showed  him  the  bed  laden  with  the 
treasures  they  had  disinterred  from  vanity's  mahogany 
tomb. 

"  Well,  mother,"  said  he,  "  you  were  right,  and  I  was 
wrong :  they  are  inappropriate  enough,  the  whole  lot." 

The  ladies  looked  at  one  another,  and  Sarah  permitted 
herself  a  species  of  snort. 


466  HARD   CASH. 

"  Do  we  want  Sarah  ?  ''  he  asked,  quietly.  She  retired 
bridling. 

"Inappropriate?"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Dodd.  "There  is 
nothing  here  unfit  for  a  bride's  trousseau." 

'•  Good  heavens  !  Would  you  trick  her  out  like  a 
princess  ?  " 

"We  must.     We  are  too  poor  to  dress  her  like  a  lady." 

"Cinderella;  at  your  service,"  observed  Julia  compla- 
cently, and  pirouetted  before  him  in  her  new  shawl. 

Ideas  rejected  peremptorily  at  the  time  often  rankle, 
and  bear  fruit  by  and  by.  Mrs.  Dodd  took  up  the  blue 
shawl,  and  said  she  would  make  Julia  a  peignoir  of  it ; 
and  the  border,  being  narrowish,  would  do  for  the  bottom. 
"That  was  a  good  notion  of  yours,  darling,"  said  she, 
bestowing  a  sweet  smile  on  Edward.  He  grunted.  Then 
she  took  out  a  bundle  of  lace:  "Oh,  for  pity's  sake  no 
more,"  cried  the  "  British  Workman." 

"  Now,  dearest,  you  have  interfered  once  in  feminine 
affairs,  and  we  submitted.  But,  if  you  say  another  word, 
I  will  trim  her  poplin  with  Honiton  two  feet  deep." 

"  Quarter  !  quarter  !  "  cried  Edward.  "  I'm  dumb ; 
grant  me  but  this ;  have  nothing  made  up  for  her  out  of 
the  house :  you  know  there  is  no  dressmaker  in  Bark- 
ington  can  cut  like  you  :  and  then  that  will  put  some 
limit  to  our  inconsistency."  Mrs.  Dodd  agreed;  but  she 
must  have  a  woman  in  to  sew. 

Edward  grunted  at  this,  and  said,  "I  wish  I  could 
turn  you  these  gowns  with  my  lathe ;  what  a  deal  of 
time  and  bother  it  would  save.  However,  if  you  want 
any  stuffing,  come  to  me;  I'll  lend  you  lots  of  shavings; 
make  the  silk  rustle.  Oh,  here  is  my  governor's  contri- 
bution."    And  he  produced  seven  pounds  ten  shillings. 

"Now,  look  there,"  said  Julia,  sorrowfully,  "it  is 
money.  And  I  thought  you  were  going  to  bring  me  the 
very  bonnet  yourself.     Then  I  should  have  valued  it." 


HARD   CASH.  467 

"Oh,  yes,"  replied  tlie  young  gentleman,  ironically; 
"  can  I  choose  a  bonnet  to  satisfy  such  swells  as  you  and 
mamma?  I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do;  I'll  go  with  you 
and  look  as  wise  as  Solomon,  all  the  time  you  are 
choosing  it." 

"  A  capital  plan,"  said  Julia. 

Edward  then  shook  his  fist  at  the  finery :  and  retired 
to  work  again  for  his  governor :  "  Flowers,"  he  observed, 
"  are  indispensable,  at  a  wedding  breakfast ;  I  hear  too 
it  is  considered  the  right  cheese  to  add  something  in  the 
shape  of  grub."  Exit  whistling  in  the  tenor  clef;  and 
keeping  their  hearts  up,  like  a  man. 

So  now  there  were  two  workshops  in  Albion  Villa; 
Ned's  study,  as  he  called  it,  and  the  drawing-room :  in 
the  former  shavings  flew,  and  settled  at  their  ease,  and 
the  whirr  of  the  lathe  slept  not;  the  latter  was  all 
patterns,  tapes,  hooks  and  eyes,  whalebone,  cuttings  of 
muslin,  poplin  and  paper;  clouds  of  lining  muslin, 
snakes  of  piping;  skeins,  shreds  ;  and  the  floor  literally 
sown  with  pins,  escaped  from  the  fingers  of  the  fair, 
those  taper  fingers  so  typical  of  the  minds  of  their 
owners :  for  they  have  softness,  suppleness,  nimbleness, 
adroitness,  and  "  a  plentiful  lack  "  of  tenacity. 

The  days  passed  in  hard  work,  and  the  evenings  in 
wooing,  never  sweeter  than  when  it  has  been  so  earned : 
and  at  last  came  the  wedding  eve.  Dr.  Sampson,  who 
was  to  give  the  bride  away,  arrived  just  before  dinner- 
time: the  party,  including  Alfred,  sat  down  to  a  charm- 
ing little  dinner ;  they  ate  beetles'  wings,  and  drank 
Indian  muslin  fifteen  years  in  the  wood.  For  the  lathe 
and  the  chisel  proved  insufficient,  and  Julia  having  really 
denied  herself,  as  an  aspirant  to  Christianity,  that  assas- 
sin's robe,  Mrs.  Dodd  sold  it  under  the  rose  to  a  fat  old 
dowager  —  for  whom  nothing  was  too  fine  —  and  so  kept 
up  appearances. 


468  HARD  CASH. 

Julia  and  Alfred  were  profoundly  happy  at  bottom ; 
yet  their  union  was  attended  with  too  many  drawbacks 
for  boisterous  gayety,  and  Alfred,  up  to  this  time,  had 
shown  a  seriousness  and  sobriety  of  bliss,  that  won  Mrs. 
Dodd's  gratitude  :  it  was  the  demeanor  of  a  delicate 
mind;  it  became  his  own  position,  at  odds  with  his  own 
flesh  and  blood  for  Julia's  sake ;  it  became  him  as  the 
son-in-law  of  a  poor  woman  so  lately  bereaved  of  her 
husband,  and  reduced  to  poverty  by  one  bearing  the  name 
of  Hardie. 

But  now  Dr.  Sampson  introduced  a  gayer  element.  He 
had  seen  a  great  deal  of  life ;  i.e.,  of  death  and  trouble. 
This  had  not  hardened  him,  but,  encountering  a  sturdy, 
valiant,  self-protecting  nature,  had  made  him  terribly 
tough  and  elastic  ;  it  was  now  his  way  never  to  go 
forward  or  backward  a  single  step  after  sorrow.  He 
seldom  mentioned  a  dead  friend  or  relation ;  and,  if 
others  forced  the  dreary  topic  on  him,  they  covild  never 
hold  him  to  it;  he  was  away  directly  to  something 
pleasant  or  useful,  like  a  grasshopper  skipping  off  a  grave 
into  the  green  grass.  He  had  felt  keenly  about  David 
while  there  was  anything  to  be  done  :  but  now  his  poor 
friend  was  in  a  madhouse,  thanks  to  the  lancet:  and 
there  was  an  end  of  him.  Thinking  about  him  would  do 
him  no  good.  The  present  only  is  irresistible  ;  past  and 
future  ills  the  mind  can  bar  out  by  a  resolute  effort. 
The  bride  will  very  likely  die  of  her  first  child  !  Well 
then,  forget  that  just  now.  Her  father  is  in  an  asylum ! 
Well  then,  don't  remember  him  at  the  wrong  time  :  there 
sit  female  beauty  and  virtue  i-eady  to  wed  manly  wit 
and  comeliness,  seated  opposite ;  see  their  sweet  stolen 
glances;  a  few  hours  only  between  them  and  wedded 
rapture :  and  I'm  here  to  give  the  lovely  virgin  away : 
fill  the  bumper  high!  dam  vivlmus  vivamns.  In  this 
glorious  spirit  he  rattled  on^  and  soon  drew  the  young 


HARD   CASH.  469 

people  out,  and  silvery  peals  of  laughter  rang  round  the 
genial  board. 

This  jarred  on  Mrs.  Dodd.  She  bore  it  in  silence  some 
time;  but  with  the  grief  it  revived  and  sharpened  by 
contrast,  and  the  polite  effort  to  hide  her  distress,  found 
herself  becoming  hysterical :  then  she  made  the  usual 
signal  to  Julia,  and  beat  an  early  retreat.  She  left 
Julia  in  the  drawing-room,  and  went  and  locked  herself 
in  her  own  room.  "  Oh,  how  can  they  be  so  cruel  as  to 
laugh  and  giggle  in  my  David's  house ! "  She  wept 
sadly,  and  for  the  first  time  felt  herself  quite  lonely  in 
the  world :  for  what  companionship  between  the  gay  and 
the  sad-hearted  ?  Poor  thing,  she  lived  to  reproach  her- 
self even  with  this,  the  nearest  aj^proach  she  ever  made 
to  selfishness. 

Ere  long  she  crept  into  Julia's  room  and  humbly  busied 
herself  packing  her  trunks  for  the  wedding  tour.  The 
tears  fell  fast  on  her  white  hands. 

She  would  not  have  been  left  alone  a  minute  if  Julia's 
mind  had  not  been  occupied  just  then  with  an  affec- 
tionate and  amiable  anxiety :  she  earnestly  desired  to 
reconcile  her  Alfred  and  his  sister  before  the  wedding; 
and  she  sat  in  the  drawing-room  thinking  whether  it 
could  be  done,  and  how. 

At  last  she  sat  down  blushing,  and  wrote  a  little  note, 
and  rang  the  bell  for  Sarah,  and  sent  it  courageously  into 
the  dining-room. 

Sarah  very  prudently  listened  at  the  keyhole  before 
entering ;  for  she  said  to  herself,  "  If  they  are  talking 
free,  I  sha'n't  go  in  till  it's  over." 

The  persons  so  generously  suspected  were  discussing 
a  parchment  Alfred  had  produced,  and  wanted  signed : 
"  You  are  our  trustee,  my  boy,"  said  he  to  Edward :  "  so 
just  write  your  name  here,  and  mine  comes  here,  and  the 
witnesses  there :  the  doctor  and  Sarah  will  do.  Send  for 
a  pen." 


470  HAED  CASH. 

"  Let's  read  it  first,  please." 

"  Eeacl  it !     What  for  ?  " 

"Catch  me  signing  a  paper  without  reading  it,  my 
boy." 

"  What,  can't  you  trust  me  ?  "  inquired  Alfred,  hurt. 

"  Oh,  yes.     And  can't  3^ou  trust  me  ?  " 

"  There's  a  question :  why,  I  have  appointed  you  my 
trusty  in  the  deed ;  he,  he  !  " 

"Well,  then,  trust  me  without  my  signing,  and  I'll 
trust  you  without  reading." 

Sampson  laughed  at  this  retort,  and  Alfred  reddened ; 
he  did  not  want  the  deed  read.  But  while  he  hesitated 
Sarah  came  in  with  Julia's  note,  asking  him  to  come  to 
her  for  a  minute.  This  sweet  summons  made  him  indif- 
ferent to  prosaic  things.  "  Well,  read  away,"  said  he : 
"  one  comfort,  you  will  be  no  wiser." 

"What,  is  it  in  Latin?"  asked  Edward,  with  a  wry 
face. 

"  No  such  luck.  Deeds  used  to  be  in  Latin ;  but  Latin 
could  not  be  made  obscure  enough.  So  now  dark  deeds 
are  written  in  an  unknown  tongue  called  '  Lawyerish,' 
where  the  sense  is  '  as  one  grain  of  wheat  in  two  bushels 
of  chaff,'  pick  it  out  if  you  can." 

"  Whatever  man  has  done,  man  may  do,"  said  Dr. 
Sampson,  stoutly.  "You  have  rid  it,  and  yet  under- 
stood it:  so  why  mayn't  we,  ye  monster  o'  conceit?" 

"Eead  it?"  said  Alfred.  "I  never  read  it:  would 
not  read  it  for  a  great  deal  of  money.  The  moment  I 
saw  what  a  senseless  rigmarole  it  was,  I  flung  it  down 
and  insisted  on  the  battological  author  furnishing  me 
with  an  English  translation.  He  complied :  the  crib 
occupies  just  twenty  lines ;  tlie  original  three  folio 
pages,  as  you  see.  That  crib,  gentlemen,"  added  he, 
severely,  "  is  now  in  my  waistcoat  pocket ;  and  you  shall 
never  see  it  —  for  your  impudence.     No,  seat  3"ourselves 


HARD   CASH.  471 

by  that  pool  of  parchment  (sedet  eternumque  sedebif,  etc.), 
and  fish  for  Lawyer  Crawford's  ideas,  i-ari  nantes  in 
{/urgite  vasfo.''  And  with  this  he  flew  iip-stairs  on  the 
wings  of  love.  Julia  met  him  in  the  middle  of  the 
room,  all  in  a  flutter :  "  It  is  to  ask  you  a  favor.  I  am 
unhappy  —  about  one  thing." 

She  then  leaned  one  hand  softly  on  his  shoulder,  and 
curving  her  lovely,  supple  neck,  looked  round  into  his 
face  and  watched  it  as  she  preferred  her  petition :  "  It  is 
about  Jane  and  you.  I  cannot  bear  to  part  you  two  in 
this  way :  only  think,  six  days  you  have  not  spoken,  and 
I  am  the  cause." 

"iSTot  the  only  cause,  love." 

'•  I  don't  know,  darling.  But  it  is  very  cruel.  I  have 
got  my  dear  mother  and  Edward;  you  have  nobody  — 
but  me.  Alfred,"  said  she  with  gentle  impetuosity, 
"now  is  the  time;  your  papa  is  away." 

"  Oh,  is  he  ?  "  said  Alfred,  carelessly. 

"Yes.  Sarah  says  Betty  says  he  is  gone  to  Uncle 
Thomas.  So  I  know  you  won't  refuse  me,  my  own 
Alfred :  it  is  to  go  to  your  sister  this  minute  and  make 
it  up." 

"What,  and  leave  you?"  objected  Alfred,  ruefully. 

"Xo,  no;  you  are  with  the  gentlemen,  you  know:  you 
are  not  here,  in  reality,  till  tea.  ]\[ake  them  an  excuse  : 
say  the  truth;  say  it  is  me :  and  come  back  to  me  with 
good  news." 

He  consented  on  these  terms. 

Then  she  armed  him  with  advice:  "You  go  to  make 
peace ;  it  is  our  last  chance ;  now  remember,  you  must 
be  very  generous,  very  sweet-tempered.  Guard  against 
your  impetuosity.  Do  take  warning  by  me ;  see  how 
impetuous  I  am.  And  then,  you  know,  after  all,  she  is 
only  a  lady,  and  a  great  creature  like  you  ought  not  to 
be  ruffled  by  anything  so  small  as  a  lady's  tongue :  the 


472  HARD   CASH. 

idea !  And,  dearest,  don't  go  trusting  to  your  logic,  but 
do  descend  to  the  arts  of  persuasion,  because  tliey  are 
far  more  convincing  somehow  :  please  try  them." 

*'  Yes.     Enumerate  them." 

"  Why,  kissing,  and  coaxing,  and  —  don't  ask  me." 

"  Will  you  bestow  a  specimen  of  those  arts  on  me,  if 
I  succeed? 

"  Try  me,"  said  she :  and  looked  him  earnestly  in  the 
face ;  but  lowered  her  long  lashes  slowly  and  shyly, 
as  she  realized  to  what  her  impetuosity  was  pledging 
itself. 

Alfred  got  his  hat  and  ran  to  Musgrove  Cottage. 

A  man  stepped  out  of  the  shadow  of  a  hedge  opposite 
Albion  Villa,  and  followed  him,  keeping  in  shadow  as 
much  as  possible. 

The  door  of  Musgrove  Cottage  was  opened  to  him  by 
old  Betty  with  a  joyful  start :  "  Mr.  Alfred,  I  declare ! 
Come  in :  there's  only  me  and  miss  :  master  is  in  York- 
shire, and  that  there  crocodile,  Peggy,  she  is  turned 
away  —  for  sauce  —  and  a  good  riddance  of  bad  rubbish. 
Miss  is  in  the  parlor." 

She  ushered  him  triumphantly  fci.  Jane  was  seated 
reading  :  she  dropped  her  book,  and  ran  and  kissed  him 
with  a  cry  of  joy.  So  warm  a  reception  surprised  him 
agreeably,  and  simplified  his  task.  He  told  her  he  was 
come  to  try  and  make  it  up  with  her  before  the  Avedding. 
"  We  lose  your  presence,  dear  Jenny,"  said  he,  "  and  that 
is  a  great  grief  to  us,  valuing  you  as  we  do ;  don't  refuse 
us  your  good  wishes  to-morrow." 

'•Dearest  Alfred,"  said  she,  "can  j'ou  think  it?  I 
pray  for  you  day  and  night ;  and  I  have  begun  to  blame 
myself  for  being  so  sure  you  were  in  the  wrong  and  poor 
papa  faultless.  What  you  sent  me  half  in  jest,  I  take 
in  earnest.     'Judge  not,  that  ye  be  not  judged.' " 

"  Why,  Jenny,"  said  Alfred,  "  how  red  your  eyes  are !'" 


HARD   CASH.  473 

At  this  observation  the  young  saint  laid  her  head  on 
her  brother's  shoulder  and  had  a  good  cry  like  any  other 
girl.  When  she  recovered  a  little  she  told  hira,  yes,  she 
had  been  very  unhappy  ;  that  he  had  always  been  a  dear 
good  brother  to  her,  and  the  only  one  she  had,  and  that 
it  cut  her  to  the  heart  not  to  be  at  his  wedding,  it  seemed 
so  unkind. 

Alfred  set  her  on  his  knee,  —  she  had  more  soul  than 
body,  —  and  kissed  her  and  comforted  her ;  and,  in  this 
happy  revival  of  natural  affection,  his  heart  opened,  he 
was  off  his  guard,  and  told  her  all ;  gave  her  the  several 
proofs  their  father  had  got  the  fourteen  thousand  pounds. 
Jane,  arrested  by  the  skill  and  logical  clearness  with 
which  he  marshalled  the  proofs,  listened  in  silence,  and 
presently  a  keen  shudder  ran  through  her  frame,  and 
reminded  him  he  was  setting  a  daughter  against  her 
father. 

"  There,"  said  he,  ''  I  always  said  I  would  never  tell 
you,  and  now  I've  done  it.  Well,  at  least  you  will  see 
with  what  consideration  and  unheard-of  leniency  the 
Dodds  for  our  sake  are  treating  Mr,  Eichard  Hardie. 
Just  compare  their  conduct  to  him  with  his  to  them. 
And  which  is  most  to  his  advantage  ?  that  I  should 
marry  Julia,  and  give  ]\[rs.  Dodd  the  life  interest  in  my 
ten  thousand  pounds,  to  balance  his  dishonesty,  or  for 
him  to  be  indicted  as  a  thief  ?  Ned  Dodd  told  us 
plainly  he  would  have  set  the  police  on  him,  had  any 
other  but  his  son  been  the  informant." 

'•  Did  he  say  that  ?  0  Alfred !  this  is  a  miserable 
world." 

"  I  can't  see  that :  it  is  the  jolliest  world  in  the  world; 
everything  is  bright  and  lovely,  and  everybody  is  happy 
except  a  few  sick  people,  and  a  few  peevish  ones  that 
run  to  meet  trouble.  To-morrow  I  marry  my  sweet 
Julia.    Richard  Hardie  will  find  we  two  don't  molest  him, 


474  HAKD  CASH. 

nor  trouble  our  heads  about  him  :  he  will  get  used  to  us, 
and  one  tine  day  we  shall  say  to  him,  'Now  we  know  all 
about  the  fourteen  thousand  pounds  :  just  leave  it  by 
will  to  dear  Jenny,  and  let  my  friend  Dodd  marry  her, 
and  you  can  enjoy  it  unmolested  for  your  lifetime.'  He 
will  consent,  and  you  will  marry  Ned,  and  then  you'll 
find  the  world  has  been  wickedly  slandered  by  dishonest 
men  and  dismal  dogs." 

In  this  strain  he  continued  till  he  made  her  blush  a 
good  deal  and  smile  a  little,  —  a  sad  smile. 

But  at  last  she  said,  "  If  I  was  sure  all  this  is  true,  I 
think  I  should  go,  with  a  heavy  heart,  to  your  wedding. 
If  I  don't,  the  best  part  of  me  will  be  there,  —  my 
prayers,  and  my  warm,  warm  wishes  for  you  both.  Kiss 
her  for  me,  and  tell  her  so,  and  that  I  hope  we  shall 
meet  round  His  throne  soon,  if  we  cannot  meet  at  His 
altar  to-morrow." 

Brother  and  sister  then  kissed  one  another  affection- 
ately ;  and  Alfred  ran  back  like  the  wind  to  Albion 
Cottage.  Julia  was  not  in  the  drawing-room,  and  some 
coolish  tea  was.  After  waiting  half  an  hour  he  got 
impatient,  and  sent  Sarah  to  say  he  had  a  message  for 
her.  Sarah  went  up-stairs  to  Mrs.  Dodd's  room,  and  was 
instantly  absorbed.  After  waiting  again  a  long  time, 
Alfred  persuaded  Edward  to  try  his  luck.  Edward  went 
up  to  Mrs.  Dodd's  room,  and  was  absorbed. 

The  wedding-dress  was  being  solemnly  tried  on.  A 
clean  linen  sheet  was  on  the  floor,  and  the  bride  stood 
on  it,  receiving  the  last  touches  of  the  milliner's  art. 
With  this  and  her  white  poplin  and  lace  veil  she  seemed 
framed  in  white,  and  her  cheeks  bloomed  so,  and  her 
eyes  beamed,  with  excitement  and  innocent  vanity,  that 
altogether  she  was  supernaturally  lovely. 

Once  enter  the  room  enchanted  by  this  snow-clad  rose, 
and  —  Vestigia  nulla  retrorsum. 


HARD   CASH.  475 

However,  Edward  escaped  at  last,  and  told  Alfred 
what  was  on  foot,  and  drew  a  picture  of  the  bride  with 
white  above  and  white  below. 

"Oh,  let  me  see  her,"  implored  the  lover. 

Edward  must  ask  mamma  about  tliat.  He  did,  and 
mamma  said,  "  Certainly  not :  the  last  person  in  the 
Avorld  that  shall  see  her  in  her  wedding-dress."  But  she 
should  come  down  to  him  in  half  an  hour.  It  seemed  a 
very  long  half-hour.  However,  by  way  of  compensation, 
he  was  alone  when  she  did  come.  "  Good  news  ?  "  she 
asked  eagerly. 

"  Capital :  we  are  the  best  of  friends.  Why,  she  is 
half  inclined  to  come.'' 

"Then  —  oh,  how  good  you  are!  oh,  how  I  love 
you!" 

And  she  flung  a  tender  arm  round  his  neck,  like  a 
young  goddess  making  love ;  and  her  sweet  face  came 
so  near  his,  he  had  only  to  stoop  a  little,  and  their  lips 
met  in  a  long,  blissful  kiss. 

That  kiss  was  an  era  in  her  life.  Innocence  itself, 
she  had  put  up  her  delicious  lips  to  her  lover  in  pure, 
though  earnest  affection;  but  the  male  fire  with  which 
his  met  them,  made  her  blush  as  well  as  thrill,  and  she 
drew  back  a  little,  abashed  and  half  scared,  and  nestled 
on  his  shoulder,  hiding  a  face  that  grew  redder  and 
redder. 

He  bent  his  graceful  head,  and  murmured  down  to 
her,  "  Are  3'ou  afraid  of  me,  sweetest  ?  " 

"  Oh,  no,  no !  Yes,  a  little.  I  don't  know.  I  was 
afraid  I  had  made  too  free  with  my  treasure  :  you  don't 
quite  belong  to  me  yet,  you  know." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  do ;  and,  what  is  more,  you  belong  to  me. 
Don't  you,  sweet  rebel  ?  " 

"  Ah,  that  I  do,  heart  and  soul,  my  own,  own,  own." 

A  few  more  soft,  delicious  murmurs,  and  then  Julia 


476  HARD  CASH. 

was  summoned  to  more  rites  of  vanity,  and  tlie  lovers 
parted  with  tender  reluctance  for  those  few  hours. 

Alfred  went  home  to  his  lodgings. 

He  had  not  been  there  above  ten  minutes,  when  he 
came  out  hastily,  and  walked  quickly  to  the  "  White 
Lion,"  the  principal  inn  in  Barkington.  He  went  into 
the  stable-yard,  and  said  a  few  words  to  the  ostler,  then 
returned  to  his  lodgings. 

The  man  followed  him  at  a  distance,  from  Albion 
Terrace,  watched  him  home,  dogged  him  to  the  "  White 
Lion,"  and  by  and  by  entered  the  yard  and  offered  the 
ostler  a  glass  of  ale  at  the  tap. 

At  Albion  Villa  they  Avere  working  on  Julia's  dresses 
till  past  midnight ;  and  then  Mrs.  Dodd  insisted  on  her 
going  to  bed.  She  obeyed,  but  when  the  house  was  all 
quiet  came  stealing  out  to  her  mother,  and  begged  to 
sleep  with  her.  The  sad  mother  strained  her  in  a  tearful 
embrace ;  and  so  they  passed  the  night,  clinging  to  one 
another  more  as  the  parting  drew  near. 

Edward  arranged  the  wedding-breakfast  for  after  the 
ceremony,  and  sent  the  ladies  up  a  cup  of  coffee,  and  a 
bit  of  toast,  apiece.  They  could  hardly  find  appetite 
even  for  this,  or,  indeed,  time,  there  was  so  much  still 
to  do. 

At  ten  o'clock  Julia  was  still  in  the  height  of  dressing, 
delayed  by  contretemps  upon  contretemps.  Sarah  and 
her  sister  did  her  hair  up  too  loose,  and,  being  a  glorious 
mass,  it  threatened  all  to  come  down ;  and,  meantime,  a 
hairpin  quietly  but  persistently  bored  her  cream-white 
poll. 

"  Oh.  run  for  mamma !  "  she  cried. 

Mamma  came  half  dressed,  had  the  hair  all  down 
again,  and  did  it  up  with  adroit  and  loving  hand,  and  put 
on  the  orange-wreath,  kissed  her  admiringly,  and  retired 
to  her  own  toilet ;  and  the  girls  began  to  lace  the  bride's 
body. 


HARD   CASH.  477 

Bump  came  Edward's  foot  against  the  door,  making 
them  all  shriek. 

"  Now  I  dou't  want  to  hurry  you  ;  but  Dr.  Sampson  is 
come." 

The  handmaids,  flustered,  tried  to  go  faster  3  and  when 
the  work  was  done  Julia  took  her  little  hand-glass  and 
inspected  her  back.  ''  Oh  ! "  she  screamed,  "  I  am 
crooked.     There,  go  for  mamma." 

Mamma  soon  came,  and  the  poor  bride  held  out  implor- 
ing hands.  "  I'm  all  awry  :  I'm  as  crooked  as  a  ram's 
horn." 

''  La,  miss,"  said  Sarah,  "  it's  only  behind :  nobody 
will  notice  it." 

"How  can  they  help  it  ?     Mamma,  a77i  I  deformed  ?  " 

Mrs.  Dodd  smiled  superior,  and  bade  her  be  calm.  "  It 
is  the  lacing,  dear.  No,  Sarah,  it  is  no  use  your  pulling 
it :  all  the  pulling  in  the  world  will  not  straighten  it. 
I  thought  so  :  you  have  missed  the  second  top  hole." 

Julia's  little  foot  began  to  beat  a  tattoo  on  the  floor. 
"  There  is  not  a  soul  in  the  house  but  you  can  do  the 
simplest  thing.  Eyes  and  no  eyes,  fingers  and  no  fin- 
gers !     I  never  did^ 

"  Hush,  love,  we  all  do  our  best." 

"  Oh,  I  am  sure  of  that ;  poor  things  ! " 

^^  Nobody  can  lace  you  if  you  fidget  about,  love," 
objected  Mrs.  Dodd. 

(Bump.)  "  Now  I  don't  want  to  hurry  any  man's  cat- 
tle, but  the  bridesmaids  are  come." 

"  Oh,  dear  !  I  shall  never  be  ready  in  time,"  said 
Julia ;  and  the  tattoo  recommenced. 

"  Plenty  of  time,  love,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd,  quietly  lac- 
ing :  "  not  half-past  ten  yet.  Sarah,  go  and  see  if  the 
bridegroom  has  arrived." 

Sarah  returned  with  the  reassuring  tidings  that  the 
bridegroom  had  not  yet  arrived,  though  the  carriages 
had. 


478  HARD  CASH. 

"  Oh,  thank  Heaven  he  is  not  come !  "  said  Julia.  "  If 
I  keep  him  waiting  to-day,  he  might  say,  *  Oho  ! '  " 

Under  dread  of  a  comment  so  significant,  she  was 
ready  at  last,  and  said  majestically  he  might  come  now 
whenever  he  liked. 

Meantime,  down-stairs  an  uneasiness  of  the  opposite 
kind  was  growing.  Ten  minutes  past  the  appointed 
time,  and  the  bridegroom  not  there.  So  while  Julia, 
now  full  dressed,  and  easy  in  her  mind,  was  directing 
Sarah's  sister  to  lay  out  her  plain  travelling-dress,  bonnet 
and  gloves,  on  the  bed,  Mrs.  Dodd  was  summoned  down- 
stairs. She  came  down  with  Julia's  white  gloves  in  her 
hand,  and  a  needle  and  thread,  the  button  sewed  on  by 
trade's  fair  hand  having  flown  at  the  first  strain.  Edward 
met  her  on  the  stairs.  "  What  had  we  better  do, 
mother  ? "  said  he  sotto  voce ;  "  there  must  be  some 
mistake.  Can  you  remember?  Wasn't  he  to  call  for 
me  on  the  way  to  church  ?  " 

"  I  really  do  not  know,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd.  "  Is  he  at 
the  church,  do  you  think  ?  " 

"  No,  no :  either  he  was  to  call  for  me  here,  or  I  for 
him.     I'll  go  to  the  church,  though :  it  is  only  a  step." 

He  ran  off,  and  in  a  little  more  than  five  minutes  came 
into  the  drawing-room. 

'•No,  he  is  not  there.  I  must  go  to  his  lodgings. 
Confound  him  !  he  has  got  reading  Aristotle,  I  suppose." 

This  passed  before  the  whole  party,  Julia  excepted. 

Sampson  looked  at  his  watch,  and  said  he  could  con- 
duct the  ladies  to  the  church  while  Edward  went  for 
Alfred.  "  Division  of  labor,"  said  he  gallantly,  "  and 
mine  the  delightful  half." 

Mrs.  Dodd  demurred  to  the  plan.  She  was  for  wait- 
ing quietly  in  one  place. 

"  Well,  but,"  said  Edward,  "  we  may  overdo  that ; 
here  it  is  a  quarter  past  eleven,  and  you  know  they  can't 


HARD   CASH.  479 

be  married  after  twelve.  No,  I  really  think  you  had 
better  all  go  Avith  the  doctor:  I  dare  say  we  shall  be 
there  as  soon  as  you  will." 

This  was  agreed  on  after  some  discussion.  Edward, 
however,  to  provide  against  all  contingencies,  begged 
Sampson  not  to  wait  for  him  should  Alfred  reach  the 
church  by  some  other  road.  "  I'm  only  groomsman,  you 
know,"  said  he.  He  ran  off  at  a  racing  pace.  The  bride 
was  then  summoned,  admired,  and  handed  into  one  car- 
riage with  her  two  bridesmaids,  INliss  Bosanquet  and 
Miss  Darton.  Sampson  and  Mrs.  Dodd  went  in  the 
other ;  and  by  half-past  eleven  they  were  all  safe  in  the 
church. 

A  good  many  people,  high  and  low,  were  about  the 
door,  and  in  the  pews,  waiting  to  see  the  beautiful  Miss 
Dodd  married  to  the  son  of  a  personage  once  so  popular 
as  Mr.  Hardie  :  it  had  even  transpired  that  Mr.  Hardie 
disapproved  the  match.  They  had  been  waiting  a  long 
time,  and  were  beginning  to  wonder  what  was  the  mat- 
ter, when,  at  last,  the  bride's  party  walked  up  the  aisle 
with  a  bright  April  sun  shining  on  them  through  the 
broad  old  windows.  The  bride's  rare  beauty  and  stag- 
like carriage  of  her  head,  imperial  in  its  loveliness  and 
orange-wreath,  drew  a  hum  of  admiration. 

The  party  stood  a  minute  or  two  at  the  east  end  of  the 
church,  and  then  the  clergyman  came  out  and  invited 
them  into  the  vestry. 

Their  reappearance  was  eagerl}^  expected ;  in  silence 
at  first,  but  presently  in  loud  and  multitudinous  whispers. 

At  this  moment,  a  young  lady  with  almost  perfect 
features  and  sylph-like  figure,  modestly  dressed  in  dove- 
colored  silk,  but  with  a  new  chip  bonnet  and  white 
gloves,  entered  a  pew  near  the  west  door  and  said  a 
little  prayer ;  then  proceeded  up  the  aisle,  and  exchanged 
a  word  with  the  clerk,  then  into  the  vestry. 


480  HARD  CASH. 

"Cheep!  cheep!  cheep!"  went  fifty  female  tongues, 
and  the  arrival  of  the  bridegroom's  sister  became  public 
news. 

The  bride  welcomed  her  in  the  vestry  with  a  sweet 
guttural  of  surprise  and  delight,  and  they  kissed  one 
another  like  little  tigers. 

"  Oh,  my  darling  Jane,  how  kind  of  you  !  have  I  got 
you  back  to  make  my  happiness  complete  ?  " 

Now  none  of  her  own  party  had  thought  it  wise  to  tell 
Julia  there  was  any  hitch,  but  Miss  Hardie  blurted  out, 
naturally  enough,  "  But  where's  Alfred  ?  " 

"I  don't  know,  dear,"  said  Julia,  innocently.  "Are 
not  he  and  Edward  in  another  part  of  the  church  ?  I 
thought  we  were  waiting  till  twelve  o'clock,  perhaps. 
Mamma  dear,  you  know  everything,  I  suppose  this  is  all 
right  ?  " 

Then,  looking  round  at  her  friends'  faces,  she  saw  in 
a  moment  that  it  was  all  wrong.  Sampson's  in  particu- 
lar was  burning  with  manly  indignation,  and  even  her 
mother's  discomposed,  and  trying  to  smile. 

When  the  innocent  saw  this,  she  suspected  her  beloved 
was  treating  her  cavalierly,  and  her  poor  little  mouth 
began  to  work,  and  she  had  much  ado  not  to  whimper. 

Mrs.  Dodd,  to  encourage  her,  told  her  not  to  be  put 
out ;  it  had  been  arranged  all  along  that  Edward  should 
go  for  him  :  "  Unfortunately,  we  had  an  impression  it 
was  the  other  way,  but  now  Edward  is  gone  to  his 
lodging^." 

"No,  mamma,"  said  Julia,  "Alfred  was  to  call  for 
Edward,  because  our  house  was  on  the  way." 

"Are  you  sure,  my  child?"  asked  Mrs.  Dodd,  very 
gravely. 

"Oh,  yes,  mamma,"  said  Julia,  beginning  to  tremble-, 
"at  a  quarter  before  eleven;  I  heard  them  settle  it." 

The  matter  was  terribly  serious  now;  indeed,  it  began 


HARD   CASH.  481 

to  look  hopeless.  Weather  overclouded,  raindrops  fall- 
ing, and  hard  upon  twelve  o'clock. 

They  all  looked  at  one  another  in  despair. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  loud,  long  buzzing  heard  outside, 
and  the  house  of  God  turned  into  a  gossiping  fair. 
"  Talk  of  money-changers,"  said  Satan  that  day,  "  give 
me  the  exchangers  of  small  talk." 

'•Thank  Heaven  they  are  come,"  said  j\Irs.  Dodd. 
But,  having  thus  relieved  her  mind,  she  drew  herself  up, 
and  prepared  a  freezing  reception  for  the  defaulter. 

A  whisper  reached  their  excited  ears :  "  It  is  young 
Mr.  Dodd ! "  and  next  moment  Edward  came  into  the 
vestry  —  alone.  The  sight  of  him  was  enough  —  his 
brow  wet  with  perspiration,  his  face  black  and  white 
with  bitter  wrath. 

"Come  home,  ^ni/  people,"  he  said,  sternly;  "there 
will  be  no  wedding  here  to-day." 

The  bridesmaids  cackled  questions  at  him ;  he  turned 
his  back  on  them. 

Mrs.  Dodd  knew  her  son's  face  too  well  to  waste 
inquiries.  "  Give  me  ray  child !  "  she  cried,  in  such  a 
burst  of  raother's  anguish  long  restrained,  that  even  the 
insult  to  the  bride  was  forgotten  for  one  moment,  till 
she  was  seen  tottering  into  her  mother's  arms  and  cring- 
ing, and  trying  to  hide  bodily  in  her.  "Oh,  throw  a 
shawl  over  me,"  she  moaned ;  "  hide  all  this." 

Well,  they  all  did  w^hat  they  could.  Jane  hung  round 
her  neck  and  sobbed,  and  said,  "I've  a  sister  now, 
and  no  brother."  The  bridesmaids  cried.  The  young 
curate  ran  and  got  the  fly  to  the  vestry-door ;  "  Get 
into  it,"  he  said,  "  and  you  will  at  least  escape  the  cu- 
rious crowd." 

"  God  bless  you,  Mr.  Hurd,"  said  Edward,  half-choked. 
He  hurried  the  insulted  bride  and  her  mother  in ;  Julia 
huddled  and  shrank  into  a  corner  under  Mrs.  Dodd's 


482  HARD   CASH. 

shawl ;  Mrs.  Dodd  head  all  the  blinds  down  in  a  moment, 
and  they  went  home  as  from  a  funeral. 

A}-,  and  a  funeral  it  was,  for  the  sweetest  girl  in  Eng- 
land buried  her  hopes,  her  laugh,  her  May  of  youth,  in 
that  church  that  day. 

When  she  got  to  Albion  Villa,  she  cast  a  wild  look  all 
around,  for  fear  she  should  be  seen  in  her  wedding- 
clothes,  and  darted  moaning  into  the  house. 

Sarah  met  her  in  the  hall,  smirking,  and  saying, 
"Wish  you  j—" 

The  poor  bride  screamed  fearfully  at  the  mocking 
words,  and  cut  the  conventional  phrase  in  two  as  with  a 
razor ;  then  fled  to  her  own  room  and  tore  off  her  wreath, 
her  veil,  her  pearls,  and  had  already  strewed  the  room, 
when  Mrs.  Dodd,  with  a  foot  quickened  by  affection, 
burst  in  and  caught  her  half  fainting,  and  laid  her,  weary 
as  old  age,  and  cold  as  a  stone,  upon  lier  mother's  bosom, 
and  rocked  her  as  in  the  days  of  happy  childhood,  never 
to  return,  and  bedewed  the  pale  face  with  her  own  tears. 

Sampson  took  the  bridesmaids  each  to  her  residence, 
on  purpose  to  leave  Edward  free.  He  came  home, 
washed  his  face,  and,  sick  at  heart,  but  more  master  of 
himself,  knocked  timidly  at  Julia's  door. 

"Come  in,  my  son/'  said  a  broken  voice. 

He  crept  in,  and  saw  a  sorry  sight.  The  travelling- 
dress  and  bonnet  Avere  waiting  still  on  the  bed;  the 
bridal  wreath  and  veil  lay  on  the  floor,  and  so  did  half 
the  necklace,  and  the  rest  of  the  pearls  all  about  the 
floor;  and  Julia,  with  all  her  hair  loose  and  hanging 
below  her  waist,  lay  faintly  quivering  in  her  mother's 
arms. 

Edward  stood  and  looked,  and  groaned. 

Mrs.  Dodd  whispered  to  him  over  Julia,  "  Not  a  tear ! 
not  a  tear ! " 

"Dead,  or  false  ?  "  moaned  the  girl :  "dead,  or  false  ? 


HARD   CASH.  483 

Oh,  that  I  could  believe  he  was  false  ;  no,  no,  he  is  dead, 
dead." 

Mrs.  Dodd  whispered  again  over  her  girl. 

"Tell  her  something:  give  us  tears — the  world  for 
one  tear ! " 

"What  shall  I  say  ?  "  gasped  Edward. 

"Tell  her  the  truth,  and  trust  to  God,  whose  child 
she  is." 

Edward  knelt  on  the  floor  and  took  her  hand. 

"  My  poor  little  Ju  ! "  he  said,  in  a  voice  broken  with 
pity  and  emotion,  "  would  you  rather  have  him  dead  or 
false  to  you  ?  " 

"Why,  false,  a  thousand  times.  It's  Edward.  Bless 
your  sweet  face,  my  own,  own  brother;  tell  me  he  is 
false,  and  not  come  to  deadly  harm." 

"You  shall  judge  for  yourself,"  he  groaned.  "I  went 
to  his  lodgings.  He  had  left  the  town.  The  woman  told 
me  a  letter  came  for  him  last  night ;  a  letter  in  —  a 
female  hand.  The  scoundrel  came  in  from  us,  got  this 
letter,  packed  up  his  things  directly,  paid  his  lodging, 
and  went  off  in  a  two-horse  fly  at  eight  o'clock  in  the 
morning." 


484  HARD   CASH. 


CHAPTER   XXIX. 

At  these  plain  proofs  of  Alfred's  infidelity,  Julia's 
sweet  throat  began  to  swell  hysterically,  and  then  her 
bosom  to  heave  and  pant ;  and,  after  a  piteous  struggle, 
came  a  passion  of  sobs  and  tears  so  wild,  so  heart-broken, 
that  Edward  blamed  himself  bitterly  for  telling  her. 

But  Mrs.  Dodd  sobbed,  "No,  no,  I  would  rather  have 
her  so ;  only  leave  her  with  me  now.  Bless  you,  darling, 
leave  us  quickly." 

She  rocked  and  nursed  her  deserted  child  hours  and 
hours,  and  so  the  miserable  day  crawled  to  its  close. 

Down-stairs  the  house  looked  strange  and  gloomy ;  she, 
who  had  brightened  it  all,  was  darkened  herself.  The 
wedding-breakfast  and  flowers  remained  in  bitter  mockery. 
Sarah  cleared  half  the  table,  and  Sampson  and  Edward 
dined  in  moody  silence. 

Presently  Sampson's  eye  fell  upon  the  deed.  It  lay 
on  a  small  table,  with  a  pen  beside  it,  to  sign  on  their 
return  from  church. 

Sampson  got  hold  of  it  and  dived  in  the  verbiage.  He 
came  up  again  with  a  discovery.  In  spite  of  its  feeble- 
ness, verbosity,  obscurity,  and  idiotic  way  of  expressing 
itself,  the  deed  managed  to  convey  to  David  and  Mrs. 
Dodd  a  life  interest  in  nine  thousand  five  hundred  pounds, 
with  reversion  to  Julia  and  the  children  of  the  projected 
marriage.  Sampson  and  Edward  put  their  heads  over 
this,  and  it  puzzled  them.  "  Why,  man,"  said  Sampson, 
"  if  the  puppy  had  signed  this  last  night,  he  would  be  a 
beggar  now." 

"Ay !"  said  Edward,  "but  after  all  he  did  not  sign  it." 


HARD   CASH.  485 

"Nay,  but  that  was  your  fault,  not  his.  The  lad  was 
keen  to  sign." 

"  That  is  true ;  and  perhaps  if  we  had  pinned  him  to 
this,  last  night,  he  would  not  have  dared  insult  n:y  sister 
to-day." 

Sampson  changed  the  subject  by  inquiring  suddenly 
which  way  he  was  gone. 

"  Curse  him,  I  don't  know,  and  don't  care.  Go  where 
he  will,  I  shall  meet  him  again  some  day;  and  then"  — 
Edward  spoke  almost  in  a  whisper,  but  a  certain  grind 
of  his  Avhite  teeth  and  flashing  of  liis  lion  eyes  made  the 
incomplete  sentence  very  expressive. 

"What  ninnies  you  young  men  are,"  said  the  doctor; 
"  even  you,  that  I  dub  '  my  fathom  o'  good-sense.'  Just 
finish  your  denner,  and  come  with  me." 

"No,  doctor,  I'm  off  my  feed  for  once.  If  you  had 
been  up-stairs  and  seen  my  poor  sister !  Hang  the  grub, 
it  turns  my  stomach."  And  he  shoved  his  plate  away, 
and  leaned  over  the  back  of  his  chair. 

Sampson  made  him  drink  a  glass  of  wine,  and  then 
they  got  up  from  the  half-finished  meal,  and  went  hur- 
riedly to  Alfred's  lodgings  ;  the  doctor,  though  sixty, 
rushing  along  with  all  the  fire  and  buoyancy  of  early 
youth.  They  found  the  landlady  surrounded  by  gossips 
curious  as  themselves,  and  longing  to  chatter,  but  no 
materials.  The  one  new  fact  they  elicited  was  that  the 
vehicle  was  a  "White  Lion"  fly,  for  she  knew  the  young 
man  by  the  cast  in  his  eye.  "'Come  away,"  shouted  the 
doctor,  unceremoniously,  and  in  two  minutes  they  were 
in  the  yard  of  the  "  White  Lion." 

Sampson  called  the  hostler.  Out  came  a  hard-featured 
man  with  a  strong  squint.  Sampson  concluded  this  was 
his  man,  and  said  roughly,  "  Where  did  you  drive  young 
Hardie  this  morning  ?  " 

He  seemed  rather  taken  aback  by  this  abrupt  question, 


486  HARD   CASH. 

but  reflected  and  slapped  his  thigh.  "  Why,  that  is  the 
party  from  Mill  Street." 

"  Yes." 

"  Druv  him  to  Silverton  Station,  sir.  And  wasn't  long 
about  it  either ;  gent  was  in  a  hurry." 

"  What  train  did  he  go  by  ?  " 

"Well,  I  don't  know,  sir;  I  left  him  at  the  station." 

"W^ell,  then,  where  did  he  take  his  ticket  for?  Where 
did  he  tell  the  porter  he  was  going  ?  Think  now,  and 
I'll  give  y'  a  sovereign." 

The  hostler  scratched  his  head,  and  seemed  at  first 
inclined  to  guess  for  the  sovereign;  but  at  last  said,  "I 
should  only  be  robbing  you,  gents.  Ye  see,  he  paid  the 
fly  then  and  there,  and  gave  me  a  crown,  and  I  druv 
away  directly." 

On  this  they  gave  him  a  shilling,  and  left  him.  But 
on  leaving  the  yard,  Edward  said,  "  Doctor,  I  don't  like 
that  fellow's  looks;  let  us  try  the  landlord."  They  went 
into  the  bar  and  made  similar  inquiries.  The  landlord 
was  out ;  the  mistress  knew  nothing  about  it,  but  took  a 
book  out  of  a  drawer,  and  turned  over  the  leaves.  She 
read  out  an  entry  to  this  effect :  — 

"  Pair  horse  fly  to  Silverton.  Take  up  in  Mill  Street 
at  eight  o'clock.  Is  that  it,  sir  ?  "  Sampson  assented ; 
but  Edward  told  her  the  hostler  said  it  was  Silverton 
Station. 

"No;  it  is  Silverton  in  the  book,  sir.  Well,  you  see, 
it  is  all  one  to  us ;  the  station  is  further  than  the  town, 
but  we  charge  seven  miles  whichever  'tis." 

Bradshaw,  inspected  then  and  there,  sought  in  vain  to 
conceal  that  four  trains  reach  Silverton  from  different 
points  between  8.50  and  9.25  a.m. 

The  friends  retired  with  this  scanty  information. 
Alfred  could  hardly  have  gone  to  London ;  for  there  was 
a  train  up  from  Barkington  itself  at  8.30.     But  he  might 


HAKD   CASH.  487 

have  gone  to  almost  any  other  part  of  the  island,  or  out 
of  it  for  that  matter.     Sampson  fell  into  a  brown  study. 

After  a  long  silence,  which  Edward  was  too  sad  to 
break,  he  said  thoughtfully,  "Bring  sceince  to  bear  on 
this  hotch-potch.  Facks  are  never  really  opposed  to 
facks,  thej'"  onnly  seem  to  be ;  and  the  true  solution  is 
the  one  which  riconciles  all  the  facks ;  for  instance,  the 
chronothairmal  therey  riconciles  all  th'  undisputed  facks 
in  midicine.  So  noAv  sairch  for  a  solution  to  riconcile 
the  deed  with  the  puppy  levanting." 

Edward  searched,  but  could  find  none  ;  and  said  so. 

"Can't  you?"  said  Sampson;  "then  I'll  give  you  a 
couple.     Say  he  is  touched  in  the  upper  story  for  one." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  mad  ?  " 

"  Oh,  there  are  degrees  of  f rinzy.  Here  is  th'  incon- 
sistency of  conduct  that  marks  a  disturbance  of  the 
reason ;  and,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  once  knew  a  young 
fellow  that  played  this  very  prank  at  a  wedding,  and 
the  nixt  thing  we  hard,  my  lorrd  was  in  Bedlam." 

Edward  shook  his  head.  "It  is  the  villain's  heart, 
not  his  brain." 

Sampson  then  offered  another  solution,  in  which  he 
owned  he  had  more  confidence. 

"  He  has  been  courting  some  other  wummun  first ;  she 
declined,  or  made  believe  ;  but,  when  she  found  he  had 
the  spirit  to  go  and  marry  an  innocent  girl,  then  the  jade 
wrote  to  him  and  yielded.  It's  a  married  one,  likely. 
I've  known  women  go  further  for  hatred  of  a  wummun 
than  they  Avould  for  love  of  a  man;  and  here  was 
a  temptation !  to  snap  a  lover  off  th'  altar,  and  insult 
a  rival,  all  at  one  blow.  He  meant  to  marry  ;  he  meant 
to  sign  that  deed ;  ay,  and,  at  his  age,  even  if  he  had 
signed  it,  he  would  have  gone  off  at  passion's  call,  and 
beggared  himself.  What  enrages  me  is  that  we  didn't 
let  him  sign  it,  and  so  nail  the  young  rascal's  money." 


488  HARD   CASH. 

"  Curse  liis  money,"  said  Edward,  "  and  him  too  !  Wait 
till  I  can  lay  my  hand  on  him  ;  I'll  break  every  bone  in 
his  skin." 

"  And  I'll  help  you." 

In  the  morning,  Mrs.  Dodd  left  Julia  for  a  few  min- 
utes expressly  to  ask  Sampson's  advice.  After  Alfred's 
conduct  she  was  free,  and  fully  determined,  to  defend 
herself  and  family  against  spoliation  by  any  means  in 
her  power ;  so  she  now  showed  the  doctor  David's  letter 
about  the  fourteen  thousand  pounds ;  and  the  empty 
pocket-book ;  and  put  together  the  disjointed  evidence 
of  Julia,  Alfred,  and  circumstances,  in  one  neat  and 
luminous  statement :  Sampson  was  greatly  struck  with 
the  revelation ;  he  jumped  off  his  chair  and  marched 
about  excited ;  said  truth  was  stranger  than  fiction,  and 
this  was  a  manifest  swindle ;  then  he  surprised  Mrs. 
Dodd  in  her  turn  by  assuming  that  old  Hardie  was  at 
the  bottom  of  yesterday's  business.  Neither  Edward 
nor  his  mother  could  see  that,  and  said  so ;  his  reply  was 
characteristic :  "  Of  course  you  can't ;  you  are  Anglo- 
saxins ;  th'  Anglosaxins  are  good  at  drawing  distinc- 
tions ;  but  they  can't  gineralize.  I'm  a  Celt,  and  gin- 
eralize  —  as  a  duck  swims.  I  discovered  th'  unity  of  all 
disease ;  it  would  be  odd  if  I  could  not  trace  the  mani- 
form  iniquities  you  suffer  to  their  one  source." 

"But  what  is  the  connecting  link  ?  "  asked  Mrs.  Dodd, 
still  incredulous. 

"  "Why,  Eichard  Hardie's  interest." 

"  Well,  but  the  letter  ?  "  objected  Edward. 

"  There  goes  th'  Anglosaxin  again,"  remonstrated 
Sampson  ;  "  puzzling  his  head  over  petty  details ;  and 
they  are  perhaps  mere  blinds  thrown  out  by  the  enemy. 
Put  this  and  that  together ;  Hardie  senior  always  averse 
to  this  marriage ;  Hardie  senior  Avanting  to  keep  four- 
teen thousand  pounds  of  yours ;  if  his  son,  who  knows  of 


HARD   CASH.  489 

the  fraud,  became  your  mother's  son,  the  swindle  wouhl 
be  hourly  in  danger  (no  connection  ?  y'  unhappy  Anglo- 
saxins  !  why,  the  two  things  are  interwoven).  And  so 
young  Hardie  is  got  out  of  the  way  ;  old  Hardie's  doing, 
or  I'm  a  Dutchman." 

This  reasoning  still  appeared  forced  and  fanciful  to 
Edward  ;  but  it  began  to  make  some  little  impression  on 
]\Irs.  Dodd,  and  encouraged  her  to  own  that  her  poor 
daughter  suspected  foul  play. 

"  Well,  that  is  possible  too ;  whativer  tempted  man 
has  done,  tempted  man  will  do  ;  but  more  likely  he  has 
bribed  Jezabel  to  write  and  catch  the  goose  by  the  heart. 
Gintlemen,  I'm  a  bit  of  a  physiognomist;  look. at  old 
Hardie's  lines :  his  cords  I  might  say  ;  and  deeper  every 
time  I  see  him ;  sirs,  there's  an  awful  weight  on  that 
man's  mind.  Looksee  !  I'll  just  send  a  small  trifle  of  a 
detective  down  to  watch  his  game,  and  pump  his  people ; 
and,  as  soon  as  it  is  safe,  we'll  seize  the  old  bird,  and, 
once  he  is  trapped,  the  young  one  will  reappear  like 
magic ;  th'  old  one  will  disgorge  ;  we'll  just  compound 
the  felony — been  an  old  friend  —  and  recover  the  cash." 

A  fine  sketch ;  but  Edward  thought  it  desperately 
wild,  and  jVfrs.  Dodd  preferred  employing  a  respectable 
attorney  to  try  and  obtain  justice  in  the  regular  way. 
Sampson  laughed  at  her ;  what  was  the  use  of  attacking 
in  the  regular  way  an  irregular  genius  like  old  Hardie  ? 
"  Attorneys  are  too  humdrum  for  such  a  job,"  said  he  ; 
"  they  start  with  a  civil  letter  putting  a  rogue  on  his 
guard ;  they  proceed  t'  a  writ,  and  then  he  digs  a  hole 
in  another  county  and  buries  the  booty;  or  sails  t' 
Australia  with  it.  N'list'me  ;  I'm  an  old  friend,  and  an 
insane  lover  of  justice  —  I  say  insane,  because  my  pas- 
sion is  not  returned,  or  the  jade  wouldn't  keep  out  of 
my  way  so  all  these  years  —  you  leave  all  this  to  me." 

"Stop  a  minute,"  said  Edward;  "you  must  not  go 


490  HABD   CASH. 

compromising  us ;  and  we  have  no  money  to  pay  for 
luxuries,  like  detectives." 

"  I  won't  compromise  any  one  of  you ;  and  my  detec- 
tive sha'n't  cost  y'  a  penny." 

"Ah,  my  dear  friend,"  said  Mrs.  Dodd,  "the  fact  is, 
you  do  not  know  all  the  difficulties  that  beset  us.  Tell 
him,  Edward.  Well,  then,  let  me.  The  poor  boy  is 
attached  to  this  gentleman's  daughter,  whom  you  pro- 
pose to  treat  like  a  felon ;  and  he  is  too  good  a  son  and 
too  good  a  friend  for  me  to  —  what,  what,  shall  I  do  ?  " 

Edward  colored  up  to  the  eyes  ;  "  Who  told  you  that, 
mother  ?  "  said  he.  "  Well,  yes,  I  do  love  her,  and  I'm 
not  ashamed  of  it.  Doctor,"  said  the  poor  fellow  after 
awhile,  "  I  see  now  I  am  not  quite  the  person  to  advise 
my  mother  in  this  matter.  I  consent  to  leave  it  in  your 
hands." 

And  in  pursuance  of  this  resolution,  he  retired  to  his 
study. 

"There's  a  domnable  combination,"  said  Sampson, 
dryly.  "  Truth  is  sairtainly  more  wonderful  than 
feckshin.  Here's  ray  fathom  o'  good-sense  in  love  with 
a  wax  doll,  and  her  brother  jilting  his  sister,  and  her 
father  pillaging  his  mother.     It  beats  hotch-potch." 

Mrs.  Dodd  denied  the  wax  doll ;  but  owned  Miss 
Hardie  was  open  to  vast  objections:  "An  inestimable 
young  lady ;  but  so  odd ;  she  is  one  of  these  uneasy- 
minded  Christians  that  have  sprung  up ;  a  religious 
egotist,  and  malade  imaginaire,  eternally  feeling  her 
own  spiritual  pulse  "  — 

"  I  know  the  disorrder,"  cried  Sampson,  eagerly ;  "  the 
pashints  have  a  hot  fit  (and  then  they  are  saints)  ;  fol- 
lowed in  due  course  by  the  cold  fit  (and  then  they  are 
the  worst  of  sinners)  ;  and  so  on  in  endless  rotation  ; 
and,  if  they  could  only  realize  my  great  discovery,  the 
perriodicity  of  all  disease,  and   time   their  sintiments. 


HARD   CASH.  491 

they  would  find  the  hot  fit  and  the  cohl  return  chrono- 
metrically,  at  intervals  as  riglar  as  the  tide's  ebb  and 
flow ;  and  the  soul  has  nothing  to  do  with  either  febrile 
symptom.  Why,  religion,  apart  from  intermittent  fever 
of  the  brain,  is  just  the  caumest,  peaceablest,  sedatest 
thing  in  all  the  world." 

"  Ah,  you  are  too  deep  for  me,  my  good  friend.  All  I 
know  is  that  she  is  one  of  this  new  school,  whom  I  take 
the  liberty  to  call  '  the  fidgety  Christians.'  They 
cannot  let  their  poor  souls  alone  a  minute ;  and  they 
pester  one  day  and  night  with  the  Millennium  ;  as  if  we 
shall  not  all  be  dead  long  before  that ;  but  the  worst  is, 
they  apply  the  language  of  earthly  passion  to  the  Saviour 
of  mankind,  and  make  one's  flesh  creep  at  their  blas- 
phemies; so  coarse,  so  familiar;  like  that  rude  multitude 
which  thronged  and  pressed  Him  when  on  earth.  But, 
after  all,  she  came  to  the  church,  and  took  my  Julia's 
part;  so  that  shows  she  has  principle  ;  and  do  pray  spare 
me  her  feelings  in  any  step  you  take  against  that  dis- 
honorable person  her  father ;  I  must  go  back  to  his 
victim,  my  poor,  poor  child ;  I  dare  not  leave  her  long. 
0  doctor,  such  a  night !  and,  if  she  dozes  for  a  minute,  it 
is  to  wake  with  a  scream  and  tell  me  she  sees  him  dead ; 
sometimes  he  is  drowned ;  sometimes  stained  with 
blood  ;  but  always  dead." 

This  evening  Mr.  Hardie  came  along  in  a  fly  with  his 
luggage  on  the  box,  returning  to  jMusgrove  Cottage  as 
from  Yorkshire  ;  in  passing  Albion  Villa  he  cast  it  a 
look  of  vindictive  triumph.  He  got  home  and  nodded 
by  the  fire  in  his  character  of  a  man  wearied  by  a  long 
journey.  Jane  made  him  some  tea,  and  told  him  how 
Alfred  had  disappeared  on  his  wedding-day. 

"  The  young  scamp,"  said  he  ;  he  added,  coolly,  "  It  is 
no  business  of  mine ;    I  had  no  hand  in  making  the 


492  HARD  CASH. 

match,  thank  Heaven."  In  the  conversation  that 
ensued,  he  said  he  had  always  been  averse  to  the  mar- 
riage ;  but  not  so  irreconcilably  as  to  approve  this  open 
breach  of  faith  with  a  respectable  young  lady ;  "  This 
will  recoil  upon  our  name,  you  know,  at  this  critical 
time,"  said  he. 

Then  Jane  mustered  courage  to  confess  that  she  had 
gone  to  the  wedding  herself :  "  Dear  papa,"  said  she, 
"it  was  made  clear  to  me  that  the  Dodds  are  acting  in 
what  they  consider  a  most  friendly  way  to  you.  They 
think  —  I  cannot  tell  you  what  they  think.  But,  if  mis- 
taken, they  are  sincere ;  and  so,  after  prayer,  and  you 
not  being  here  for  me  to  consult,  I  did  go  to  the  church. 
Forgive  me,  papa ;  I  have  but  one  brother ;  and  she  is 
my  dear  friend." 

Mr.  Hardie's  countenance  fell  at  this  announcement, 
and  he  looked  almost  diabolical.  But  on  second  thoughts 
he  cleared  up  wonderfully  ;  "  I  will  be  frank  with  you, 
Jenny  ;  if  the  wedding  had  come  off,  I  should  have  been 
deeply  hurt  at  your  supporting  that  little  monster  of 
ingratitude  ;  he  not  only  marries  against  his  father's 
will  (that  is  done  every  day),  but  slanders  and  maligns 
him  publicly  in  his  hour  of  poverty  and  distress.  But, 
now  that  he  has  broken  faith  and  insulted  ]\Iiss  Dodd  as 
well  as  me,  I  declare  I  am  glad  you  Avere  there,  Jenny. 
It  will  separate  us  from  his  abominable  conduct.  But 
what  does  he  say  for  himself  ?  What  reason  does  he 
give  ?  " 

"  Oh,  it  is  all  mystery  as  yet." 

*'  Well,  but  he  must  have  sent  some  explanation  to  the 
Dodds." 

"  He  may  have  ;  I  don't  know.  I  have  not  ventured 
to  intrude  on  my  poor  insulted  friend.  Papa,  I  hear  her 
distress  is  fearful ;  they  fear  for  her  reason.  Oh,  if 
harm   comes   to   her,    God  will   assuredly   punish   him 


HARD   CASH.  493 

whose  heartlessness  and  treachery  has  brought  her  to  it. 
Mark  mj  words,"  she  continued  with  great  emotion, 
"  this  cruel  act  Avill  not  go  unpunished,  even  in  this 
world." 

"There,  there,  change  the  subject,"  said  ^Mr.  Hardie, 
peevishly.  "  What  have  I  to  do  with  his  pranks  ?  he 
has  disowned  me  for  his  father,  and  I  disown  hiui  for 
my  son." 

The  next  day  Peggy  Black  called,  and  asked  to  see 
master.  Old  Betty,  after  the  first  surprise,  looked  at 
her  from  head  to  foot,  and  foot  to  head,  as  if  measuring 
her  for  a  suit  of  disdain ;  and  told  her  she  might 
carry  her  own  message  ;  then  flounced  into  the  kitchen, 
and  left  her  to  shut  the  street-door,  which  she  did.  She 
went  and  dropped  her  courtesy  at  the  parlor-door,  and  in 
a  niminy-piminy  voice  said  she  was  come  to  make  her 
submission,  and  would  he  forgive  her,  and  give  her 
another  trial  ?  Her  penitence,  after  one  or  two  convul- 
sive efforts,  ended  in  a  very  fair  floAv  of  tears. 

Mr.  Hardie  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  asked  Jane 
if  the  girl  had  ever  been  saucy  to  her. 

"  Oh,  no,  papa ;  indeed,  I  have  no  fault  to  find  with 
poor  Peggy." 

"  "Well,  then,  go  to.  your  work,  and  try  and  not  offend 
Betty  ;  remember  she  is  older  than  you." 

Peggy  went  for  her  box  and  bandbox,  and  reinstated 
herself  quietly,  and  all  old  Betty's  endeavors  to  irritate 
her  only  elicited  a  calm  cunning  smile,  with  a  depres- 
sion of  her  downy  eyelashes. 

ALBION    VILLA. 

Next  morning  Edward  Dodd  was  woke  out  of  a  sound 
sleep  at  about  four  o'clock,  by  a  hand  upon  his  shoulder ; 
he  looked  up,  and  rubbed  his  eyes ;  it  was  Julia  stand- 
ing   by    his    bedside,    dressed,    and    in    her    bonnet; 


494  HARD   CASH. 

"  Edward,"  she  said,  in  a  hurried  whisper,  "there  is  foul 
play ;  I  cannot  sleep,  I  cannot  be  idle.  He  has  been 
decoyed  away,  and  perhaps  murdered.  Oh,  pray  get  up 
and  go  to  the  police  office  or  somewhere  with  me." 

"  Very  well ;  but  wait  till  morning." 

"  Xo  ;  now  ;  now  ;  now ;  now.  I  shall  never  go  out  of 
doors  in  the  daytime  again.  Wait  ?  I'm  going  crazy 
with  wait,  wait,  wait,  wait,  waiting." 

Her  hand  was  like  fire  on  him,  and  her  eyes  super- 
naturally  bright. 

"  There,"  said  Edward  with  a  groan,  "  go  down-stairs, 
and  I  will  be  with  you  directly." 

He  came  down  ;  they  went  out  together ;  her  little 
burning  hand  pinched  his  tight,  and  her  swift  foot 
seemed  scarcely  to  touch  the  ground  ;  she  kept  him  at 
his  full  stride  till  they  got  to  the  central  police  station. 
There,  at  the  very  thought  of  facing  men,  the  fiery  inno- 
cent suddenly  shrank  together,  and  covered  her  blushing 
face  with  her  hot  hands.  She  sent  him  in  alone.  He 
found  an  intelligent  superintendent,  who  entered  into 
the  case  with  all  the  coolness  of  an  old  official  hand. 

Edward  came  out  to  his  sister,  and  as  he  hurried  her 
home,  told  her  what  had  passed  :  "  The  superintendent 
asked  to  see  the  letter ;  I  told  him  he  had  taken  it  with 
him ;  that  was  a  pity,  he  said.  Then  he  made  me 
describe  Alfred  to  a  nicety;  and  the  description  will  go 
up  to  London  this  morning,  and  all  over  Barkington,  and 
the  neighborhood,  and  the  county." 

She  stopped  to  kiss  him,  then  went  on  again  with  her 
head  down,  and  neither  spoke  till  they  were  nearly  home : 
then  Edward  told  her  the  superintendent  felt  quite  sure 
that  the  villain  was  not  dead ;  nor  in  danger  of  it. 

"  Oh,  bless  him  !  bless  him  !  for  saying  so." 

"And  that  he  will  turn  up  in  London  before  very 
long ;  not  in  this  neighborhood :  he  says  he  must  have 


HARD   CASH.  495 

known  the  writer  of  the  letter,  and  his  taking  his  lug- 
gage with  him  shows  he  has  gone  off  deliberately.  iVIy 
poor  little  Ju,  now  do  try  and  look  at  it  as  he  does,  and 
everybody  else  does ;  try  and  see  it  as  you  Avould  if  you 
were  a  bystander." 

She  laid  her  soft  hand  on  his  shoulder  as  if  to  support 
herself  floating  in  her  sea  of  doubt:  "I  do  see  I  am  a 
poor  credulous  girl ;  but  how  can  my  Alfred  be  false  to 
me  ?  Am  I  to  doubt  the  Bible  ?  am  I  to  doubt  the  sun  ? 
Is  nothing  true  in  heaven  or  earth  ?  Oh,  if  I  could  only 
have  died  as  I  was  dressing  for  church  —  died  while  he 
seemed  true  !  He  is  true  :  the  wicked  creature  has  cast 
some  spell  on  him :  he  has  gone  in  a  moment  of  delir- 
ium ;  he  will  regret  what  he  has  done,  perhaps  regrets  it 
now.  I  am  ungrateful  to  you,  Edward,  and  to  the  good 
policeman,  for  sa3ing  he  is  not  dead.  What  more  do  I 
require  ?  he  is  dead  to  me.  Edward,  let  us  leave  this 
place.  We  xoere  going :  let  us  go  to-day ;  this  very  day ; 
oh,  take  me,  and  hide  me  where  no  one  that  knows  me 
can  ever  see  me  again."  A  flood  of  tears  came  to  her 
relief:  and  she  went  along  sobbing  and  kissing  her 
brother's  hand  every  now  and  then. 

But  as  they  drew  near  the  gate  of  Albion  Villa,  twilight 
began  to  usher  in  the  dawn.  Julia  shuddered  at  even 
that  faint  light,  and  fled  like  a  guilty  thing,  and  hid  her- 
self sobbing  in  her  own  bedroom. 

^fr.  Bichard  Hardie  slept  better  now  than  he  had  done 
for  some  time  past,  and  therefore  woke  more  refreshed 
and  in  better  spirits.  He  knew  an  honest  family  was 
miserable  a  few  doors  off ;  but  he  did  not  care.  He  got 
up  and  shaved  with  a  mind  at  ease.  One  morning  when 
he  had  removed  the  lather  from  one-half  his  face,  he 
happened  to  look  out  of  window,  and  saw  on  the  wall 
opposite  —  a  placard :  a  large  placard  to  this  effect :  — - 


4961  HARD   CASH. 

ONE    HUNDRED    GUINEAS    REWARD! 

Whereas  on  the  11th  instant  Mr.  Alfred  Hai'die  disappeared 
mysteriously  from  his  lodgings  in  15  Mill  Street  under  circum- 
stances suggesting  a  suspicion  of  foul  play,  know  all  men  that 
the  above  reward  will  be  paid  to  any  person  or  persons  who 
shall  first  inform  the  undersigned  where  the  said  Alfred 
Hardie  is  to  be  found,  and  what  person  or  persons,  if  any, 
have  been  concerned  in  his  disappearance. 

Alexander  Sampson, 

39  Pope  Street, 

Napoleon  Square, 

London. 


HARD   CASH.  497 


CHAPTER   XXX. 

The  note  Alfred  Hardie  received  on  tlie  10th  of  April, 
was  from  Peggy  Black.  The  letters  were  well  formed, 
for  she  had  been  educated  at  the  national  school :  but 
the  style  was  not  upon  a  par. 

Mr.  Alfred,  Sir,  —  JNIargaret  Black  sends  her  respects, 
and  if  you  want  to  know  the  truth  about  the  money,  I  can  tell 
you  all,  and  where  it  is  at  this  present  time.  Sir,  I  am  now  in 
situation  at  Silv^erton  Grove  House  about  a  furlong  from  the 
station  ;  and  if  you  will  be  so  good  to  call  there-  and  ask  for 
Margaret,  I  will  tell  you  where  it  is,  which  I  mean  the  four- 
teen thousand  pounds  ;  for  it  is  a  sin  the  j'oung  lad}'  should  be 
beguiled  of  her  own.  Only  j'ou  must  please  come  tliis  even- 
ing, or  else  to-raori'ow  before  ten  o'clock,  by  reason  my  mis- 
tress and  me  we  are  going  up  to  London  that  day  early,  and 
she  talk  of  taking  me  abroad  along  with  her. 
I  remain,  sir, 

Yours  respectfully  to  command, 

Margaret  Black. 

If  you  please,  sir,  not  to  show  this  letter  on  no  account. 

Alfred  read  this  twice  over,  and  felt  a  contemptuous 
repugnance  towards  the  writer,  a  cashiered  servant,  who 
offered  to  tell  the  truth  out  of  spite,  having  easily  re- 
sisted every  worthy  motive.  Indeed,  I  think  he  would 
have  perhaps  dismissed  the  subject  into  the  fire,  but  for 
a  strange  circumstance  that  had  occurred  to  him  this 
very  afternoon ;  but  I  had  no  opportunity  to  relate  it 
till  now.  Well,  just  as  he  was  going  to  dress  for  dinner, 
he  received  a  visit  from  Dr.  Wycherley,  a  gentleman  he 


493  HARD   CASH. 

scarcely  knew  by  name.  Dr.  Wycherley  inquired  aftei 
his  kephalalgia ;  Alfred  stared  and  told  liim  it  was  much 
the  same ;  troubled  him  occasionally. 

"  And  your  insomnia  ?  " 

"I  don't  know  the  word:  have  you  any  authority 
for  it  ?  " 

Dr.  Wycherley  smiled  with  a  sort  of  benevolent  supe- 
riority, that  galled  his  patient,  and  proceeded  to  inquire 
after  his  nightly  visions  and  voices.  But  at  this  Alfred 
looked  grave  as  well  as  surprised  and  vexed.  He  was 
on  his  guard  now,  and  asked  himself  seriously  what  was 
the  meaning  of  all  this,  and  could  his  father  have  been 
•SO  mad  as  to  talk  over  his  own  shame  with  this  stranger : 
he  made  no  reply  whatever. 

Dr.  Wycherley's  curiosity  was  not  of  a  very  ardent 
kind:  for  he  was  one  of  those  who  first  form  an  opinion, 
and  then  collect  the  materials  of  one :  and  a  very  little 
fact  goes  a  long  way  with  such  minds.  So,  when  he  got 
no  answer  about  the  nocturnal  visions  and  voices,  he 
glided  calmly  on  to  another  matter.  "By-the-by,  that 
fourteen  thousand  pounds  ! " 

Alfred  started ;  and  then  eyed  him  keenly :  "  What 
fourteen  thousand  pounds  ?  " 

*'  The  fabulous  sum  you  labor  under  the  impression  of 
your  father  having  been  guilty  of  clandestinely  appro- 
priating." 

This  was  too  much  for  Alfred's  patience.  ''I  don't 
know  who  you  are,  sir,"  said  he  ;  "I  never  exchanged 
but  three  words  in  my  life  with  you,  and  do  you  suppose 
I  will  talk  to  a  stranger  on  family  matters  of  so  delicate  a 
kind  as  this  ?  I  begin  to  think  you  have  intruded  your- 
self on  me  simply  to  gratify  an  impertinent  curiosity." 

"The  hypothesis  is  at  variance  with  my  established 
character,"  replied  the  oleaginous  one.  "Do  me  the  jus- 
tice to  believe  in  the  necessity  of  this  investigation,  and 
that  it  is  one  of  a  most  friendly  character." 


HARD  CASH.  499 

"Then  I  decline  the  double  nuisance :  your  curiosity 
and  your  friendship  !  Take  them  both  out  of  my  room, 
sir,  or  I  shall  turn  them  both  out  by  one  pair  of  shoulders." 

'•  You  shall  smart  for  this,"  said  the  doctor,  driven  to 
plain  English  by  anger,  that  great  solvent  of  circumlocu- 
tion with  ■which  nature  has  mercifully  supplied  us.  He 
made  to  the  door,  opened  it,  and  said  in  considerable 
excitement  to  some  one  outside,  "  Excited  !  —  Very  ! " 

Now  Dr.  Pleonast  had  no  sooner  been  converted  to  the 
vernacular,  and  disappeared,  than  another  stranger  en- 
tered the  room:  he  had  evidently  been  lurking  in  the 
passage :  it  Avas  a  man  of  smallish  stature,  singularly 
gaunt,  angular,  and  haggard,  but  dressed  in  a  spruce  suit 
of  black,  tight,  new,  and  glossy.  In  short,  he  looked 
like  Romeo's  apothecary  gone  to  Stultz  with  the  money. 
He  fluttered  in  with  pale  cheek  and  apprehensive  body, 
saying  hurriedly,  "  Now,  my  dear  sir,  he  calm :  jpray  be 
calm :  I  have  come  down  all  the  way  from  London  to 
see  you,  and  I  am  sure  you  won't  make  me  lose  my 
journey  ;  will  you  now  ?  " 

"  And  pray  who  asked  you  to  come  all  the  way  from 
London,  sir  ?  " 

"  A  person  to  whom  your  health  is  very  dear." 

"Oh,  indeed ;  so  I  have  secret  friends,  have  I  ?  Well, 
you  may  tell  my  secret,  underhand  friends,  I  never  was 
better  in  my  life." 

'•'  I  am  truly  glad  to  hear  it,"  said  the  little  man :  "  let 
me  introduce  myself,  as  Dr.  Wycherley  forgot  to  do  it." 
And  he  handed  Alfred  a  card,  on  which  his  name  and 
profession  were  written. 

"  Well,  Mr.  Speers,"  said  Alfred,  "  I  have  only  a 
moment  to  give  you,  for  1  must  dress  for  dinner.  What 
do  you  want  ?  " 

"I  come,  sir,  in  hopes  of  convincing  your  friends  you 
are  not  so  very  ill ;    not  incurable.      W"hy,  your  eye  is 


500  HARD   CASH. 

steady,  your  complexion  good ;  a  little  higli  with  the 
excitement  of  this  conversation ;  but,  if  we  can  only  get 
over  this  little  delusion,  all  will  be  well." 

"  What  little  delusion  ?  " 

"  About  the  fourteen  thousand  pounds,  you  know." 

*'  What  fourteen  thousand  pounds  ?  I  have  not  men- 
tioned fourteen  thousand  pounds  to  you,  have  I  ?  " 

"  No,  sir :  you  seem  to  shun  it  like  poison ;  that  is  the 
worst  of  it ;  you  talk  about  it  to  others  fast  enough ; 
but  to  Dr.  Wycherley  and  myself,  who  could  cure  you 
of  it,  you  would  hide  all  about  it,  if  you  could." 

At  this  Alfred  rose  and  put  his  hands  in  his  pockets 
and  looked  down  grimly  on  his  inquisitor.  "  Mr.  Speers," 
said  he,  "  you  had  better  go.  There  is  no  credit  to  be 
gained  by  throwing  so  small  an  apothecary  as  you,  out 
of  that  window ,  and  you  won't  find  it  pleasant  either ; 
for,  if  you  provoke  me  to  it,  I  shall  not  stand  upon  cere- 
mony ;  I  sha'n't  open  the  window  first,  as  I  should  for 
Dr.  What's  his  corf  unded  name." 

At  these  suggestive  words,  spoken  with  suppressed 
ire  and  flashing  eyes,  Speers  scuttled  to  the  door  crab- 
wise,  holding  the  young  lion  in  check,  conventionally ; 
to  wit,  with  an  eye  as  valiant  as  a  sheep's ;  and  a  joyful 
apothecary  was  he  when  he  found  himself  safe  outside 
the  house  and  beside  Dr.  Wycherley,  who  was  waiting 
for  him. 

Alfred  soon  cooled,  and  began  to  laugh  at  his  own 
anger  and  the  unbounded  impudence  of  his  visitors: 
but,  on  the  other  hand,  it  struck  him  as  a  grave  circum- 
stance that  so  able  a  man  as  his  father  should  stir  muddy 
water ;  should  go  and  talk  to  these  strangers  about  the 
money  he  had  misappropriated.  He  puzzled  himself  all 
the  time  he  was  dressing :  and,  not  to  trouble  the  reader 
with  all  the  conjectures  that  passed  through  his  mind, 
he  concluded  at  last,  that  Mr.  Hardie  must  feel  very 


HARD  CASH.  501 

strong,  very  sure  there  was  no  evidence  against  him  but 
his  son's,  or  he  woukl  not  take  the  eightli  comniandmeut 
by  the  horns  like  tliis. 

"  Injustice  carries  it  with  a  high  hand,"  thought  Alfred, 
with  a  sigh.  He  was  not  the  youth  to  imitate  his  father's 
shamelessness :  so  he  locked  this  last  incident  in  his 
own  breast ;  did  not  even  mention  it  to  Julia. 

But  now,  on  reading  Peggy's  note,  his  warlike  instincts 
awoke,  and,  though  he  despised  his  correspondent  and 
her  motives,  he  could  not  let  such  a  chance  pass  of  de- 
feating brazen  injustice.  It  was  unfortunate  and  awk- 
ward to  have  to  go  to  Silverton  on  his  wedding  morning; 
but,  after  all,  there  was  plenty  of  time.  He  packed  up 
his  things  at  once  for  the  wedding  tour,  and  in  the  morn- 
ing took  them  with  him  in  the  fly  to  Silverton ;  his  plan 
was  to  come  back  direct  to  Albion  Villa:  so  he  went  to 
Silverton  Grove  full  dressed,  all  ready  for  the  wedding. 

As  it  happened  he  overtook  his  friend  Peterson  just 
outside  the  town,  called  to  him  gayly,  and  invited  him 
to  church  and  breakfast. 

To  his  surprise  the  young  gentleman  replied  sullenly 
that  he  should  certainly  not  come. 

"Xot  come,  old  fellow  ?  "  said  Alfred,  hurt. 

"You  have  a  good  cheek  to  ask  me,"  retorted  the 
other. 

This  led  to  an  explanation.  Peterson's  complaint  was 
that  he  had  told  Alfred  he  was  in  love  with  Julia,  and 
Alfred  had  gone  directly  and  fallen  in  love  with  her  just 
to  cut  him  out. 

"  What  are  you  talking  about  ?  "  said  Alfred  :  "  so  this 
is  the  reason  j'ou  have  kept  away  from  me  of  late  :  why, 
I  was  engaged  to  her  at  the  very  time ;  only  my  father 
was  keeping  us  apart." 

"Then  why  didn't  you  say  so  ?  " 

"Because  my  love  is  not  of  the  prattling  sort." 


502  HARD  CASH. 

"  Oh,  nonsense ;  I  don't  believe  a  word  of  it." 

"  You  don't  believe  my  word  !  Did  you  ever  know  me 
tell  a  lie?  At  that  rate,  think  what  you  please,  sir: 
drive  on,  Strabo." 

And  so  ended  that  little  friendship. 

On  the  road  our  ardent  youth  arranged  in  his  head  a 
noble  scheme.  He  would  bring  Peggy  Black  home  with 
him,  compensating  her  liberally  for  the  place  she  would 
thereby  lose :  would  confront  her  privately  with  his 
father,  and  convince  him  it  was  his  interest  to  restore 
the  Dodds  their  money  with  a  good  grace,  take  the  five 
thousand  pounds  he  had  already  offered,  and  countenance 
the  wedding  by  letting  Jane  be  present  at  it.  It  was 
hard  to  do  all  this  in  the  time,  but  well  worth  trying 
for,  and  not  impossible :  a  two-horse  fly  is  not  a  slow 
conveyance,  and  he  offered  the  man  a  guinea  to  drive 
fast ;  so  that  it  was  not  nine  o'clock  when  they  reached 
Silverton  Grove  House,  a  place  Alfred  had  never  heard 
of;  this,  however,  I  may  observe,  was  no  wonder:  for  it 
had  not  borne  that  name  a  twelvemonth. 

It  was  a  large  square  mansion  of  red  brick,  with  stone 
facings  and  corners,  and  with  balustrades  that  hid  the 
garret  windows.  It  stood  in  its  own  grounds,  and  the 
entrance  was  through  handsome  iron  gates,  one  of  which 
was  wide  open  to  admit  people  on  foot  or  horseback. 
The  fly-man  got  down  and  tried  to  open  the  other,  but 
could  not  manage  it.  "  There,  don't  waste  time,"  said 
Alfred,  impatiently,  "let  me  out." 

He  found  a  notice  under  the  bell,  "  Ring  and  enter." 
He  rang  accordingl}^,  and  at  the  clang  the  hall-door 
opened,  as  if  he  had  pulled  a  porter  along  with  the  bell ; 
and  a  gray-haired  servant  out  of  livery  stood  on  the  steps 
to  receive  him.  Alfred  hurried  across  the  plat,  which 
was  trimmed  as  neatly  as  a  college  green,  and  asked  the 
servant  if  he  could  see  Margaret  Black. 


HARD  CASH.  603 

"Margaret  Black?"  said  the  man,  doubtfully ;  "I'll 
inquire,  sir.     Please  to  follow  me." 

They  entered  a  handsome  hall,  with  antlers  and  armor ; 
from  this  a  double  staircase  led  up  to  a  landing  with 
folding-doors  in  the  centre  of  it ;  one,  of  these  doors  was 
wide  open  like  the  iron  gate  outside.  The  servant 
showed  Alfred  up  the  left-hand  staircase,  through  the 
open  door,  into  a  spacious  drawing-room,  handsomely 
though  not  gayly  furnished  and  decorated ;  but  a  little 
darkened  by  Venetian  blinds. 

The  old  servant  walked  gravely  on,  and  on,  till  Alfred 
began  to  think  he  would  butt  the  wall ;  but  he  put  his 
hand  out  and  opened  a  door,  that  might  very  well  escape 
a  stranger's  notice ;  for  it  was  covered  with  looking-glass, 
and  matched  another  narrow  mirror  in  shape  and  size ; 
this  door  led  into  a  very  long  room,  as  plain  and  even 
sordid  as  the  drawing-room  was  inviting ;  the  unpapered 
walls  were  a  cold  drab,  and  wanted  washing ;  there  was 
a  thick  cobweb  up  in  one  corner,  and  from  the  ceiling 
hung  the  tail  of  another,  which  the  housemaid's  broom 
had  scotched  not  killed ;  that  side  of  the  room  they 
entered  by  was  all  books.  The  servant  said,  "  Stay  here 
a  moment,  sir,  and  I'll  send  her  to  you."  With  this  he 
retired  into  the  drawing-room,  closing  the  door  softly 
after  him  ;  once  closed  it  became  invisible  ;  it  fitted  like 
wax,  and  left  nothing  to  be  seen  but  books  ;  not  even  a 
knob.  It  shut  to  with  that  gentle  but  clean  click  which 
a  spring  bolt,  however  polished  and  oiled  and  gently 
closed,  will  emit.  Altogether  it  was  enough  to  give 
some  people  a  turn.  But  Alfred's  nerves  were  not  to  be 
affected  by  trifles ;  he  put  his  hands  in  his  pockets  and 
walked  up  and  down  the  room,  quietly  enough  at  first, 
but  by  and  by  uneasily.  "Confound  her  for  wasting 
my  time,"  thought  he  ;  "  why  doesn't  she  come  ?  " 

Then,  as  he  had  learned  to  pick  up  the  fragments  of 


504  HARD   CASH. 

time  and  hated  dawdling,  he  went  to  take  a  book  from 
the  shelves. 

He  found  it  was  a  piece  of  iron,  admirably  painted;  it 
chilled  his  hand  with  its  unexpected  coldness  ;  and  all 
the  books  on  and  about  the  door  were  iron  and  chilly. 

"  Well,"  thought  he,  "  this  is  the  lirst  dummy  ever 
took  me  in.  What  a  fool  the  man  must  be  !  Why,  he 
could  have  bought  books  with  ideas  in  them  for  the 
price  of  these  impostors." 

Still  Peggy  did  not  come.  So  he  went  to  a  door  oppo- 
site, and  at  right  angles  to  the  farthest  window,  meaning 
to  open  it  and  inquire  after  her ;  lo  and  behold !  he  found 
this  was  a  knob  without  a  door.  There  had  been  a  door, 
but  it  was  blocked  up.  The  only  available  door  on  that 
side  had  a  keyhole,  but  no  latch  nor  handle. 

Alfred  was  a  prisoner. 

He  no  sooner  found  this  out  than  he  began  to  hammer 
on  the  door  with  his  fists,  and  call  out. 

This  had  a  good  effect,  for  he  heard  a  woman's  dress 
come  rustling :  a  key  was  inserted,  and  the  door  opened. 
But,  instead  of  Peggy,  it  was  a  tall,  well-formed  woman 
of  thirty,  with  dark-gray  eyes,  and  straightish  eyebrows, 
massive  and  black  as  jet.  She  was  dressed  quietly,  but 
like  a  lady.  Mrs.  Arehbold,  for  that  was  her  name,  cast 
on  Alfred  one  of  those  swift,  all-devouring  glances,  with 
which  her  sex  contrive  to  take  in  the  features,  character, 
and  dress  of  a  person  from  head  to  foot,  and  smiled 
most  graciously  on  him,  revealing  a  fine  white  set  of 
teeth.  She  begged  him  to  take  a  seat,  and  sat  down 
herself.     She  had  left  the  door  ajar. 

"I  came  to  see  Margaret  Black,"  said  Alfred. 

''  Margaret  Black  ?  There  is  no  such  person  here," 
was  the  quiet  reply. 

"  What,  has  she  gone  away  so  early  as  this  ?  " 

Mrs.    Arehbold   smiled,   and   said,   soothingly,    "Are 


HARD  CASH.  505 

you  sure  she  ever  existed ;  except  in  your  imagina- 
tion ?  " 

Alfred  laughed  at  this,  and  showed  her  Peggy's  letter. 
She  ran  her  eye  over  it,  and  returned  it  him  with 
a  smile  of  a  different  kind,  half  pitying,  half  cynical. 
But  presently  resuming  her  former  manner,  "  I  remem- 
ber now,"  said  she  in  dulcet  tones ;  "  the  anxiety  you 
are  laboring  under  is  about  a  large  sum  of  money,  is  it 
not  ?  " 

"What,  can  you  give  me  any  information  about  it  ?" 
said  he,  surprised. 

"  I  think  w^e  can  render  you  great  service  in  the 
matter,  infinite  service,  Mr.  Hardie,"  was  the  reply,  in  a 
voice  of  very  honey. 

Alfred  was  amazed  at  this.  "  You  say  you  don't  know 
Peggy  !  And  yet  you  seem  to  know  me.  I  never  saw 
you  in  my  life  before,  madam ;  what  on  earth  is  the 
meaning  of  all  this  ?  " 

"  Calm  yourself,"  said  Mrs.  Archbold,  laying  a  white 
and  finely  moulded  hand  upon  his  arm ;  "  there  is  no 
"wonder  nor  mystery  in  the  matter ;  you  were  expected.''^ 

The  color  rushed  into  Alfred's  face,  and  he  started  to 
his  feet;  some  vague  instinct  told  him  to  be  gone  from 
this  place. 

The  lady  fixed  her  eyes  on  him,  put  her  hand  to  a  gold 
chain  that  was  round  her  neck,  and  drew  out  of  her  white 
bosom,  not  a  locket,  nor  a  key,  but  an  ivory  whistle ; 
keeping  her  eye  steadily  fixed  on  Alfred,  she  breathed 
softly  into  the  whistle.  Then  two  men  stepped  quietly 
in  at  the  door  ;  one  was  a  short,  stout  snob,  with  great 
red  whiskers,  the  other  a  wiry  gentleman  with  iron-gray 
hair.  The  latter  spoke  to  Alfred,  and  began  to  coax 
him.  If  jNIrs.  Archbold  was  honey,  this  personage  was 
treacle.  "  Be  calm,  my  dear  young  gentleman  ;  don't 
agitate  yourself.     You  have   been   sent   here   for  your 


506  HABD  CASH. 

good;  and  that  j'ou  may  be  cured,  and  so  restored  to 
society  and  to  your  anxious  and  affectionate  friends." 

''  What  are  you  talking  about  ?  Avhat  do  you  mean  ?  " 
cried  Alfred  :  "are  you  mad  ?  " 

"No,  we  are  not,"  said  the  short  snob,  Avith  a  coarse 
laugh. 

"  Have  done  with  this  fooling,  then,"  said  Alfred, 
sharply;  "the  person  I  came  to  see  is  not  here:  good- 
morning." 

The  short  man  instantly  stepped  to  the  door,  and  put 
his  back  to  it.  The  other  said  calmly,  "  ISTo,  Mr.  Hardie; 
you  cannot  leave  the  house  at  present." 

"  Can't  I  ?  Why  not,  pray  ?  "  said  Alfred,  drawing 
his  breath  hard ;  and  his  eyes  began  to  glitter  danger- 
ously. 

"  We  are  responsible  for  your  safety  ;  we  have  force 
at  hand  if  necessary  ;  pray  do  not  compel  us  to  summon 
it." 

"'  Why,  where  am  I  ?"  said  Alfred,  panting  now;  "  is 
this  a  prison  ?  " 

"  No,  no,"  said  IMrs.  Archbold,  soothingly ;  "  it  is  a 
place  where  you  will  be  cured  of  your  headaches  and 
your  delusions,  and  subjected  to  no  unnecessary  pain  nor 
restraint." 

"  Oh,  bother ! "  said  the  short  snob,  brutally.  "  Why 
make  two  bites  of  a  cherry  ?  You  are  in  mi/  asylum, 
young  gentleman,  and  a  devilish  lucky  thing  for  you." 

At  this  fatal  word  "  asylum,"  Alfred  uttered  a  cry  of 
horror  and  despair,  and  his  eyes  roved  wildly  round  the 
room  in  search  of  escape.  But  the  windows  of  the  room, 
though  outside  the  house  they  seemed  to  come  as  low  as 
those  of  the  drawing-room,  were  partly  bricked  up  within, 
and  made  just  too  high  to  be  reached  without  a  chair. 
And  his  captors  read  that  wild  glance  directly,  and  the 
doctor  whipped  one  chair  away,  while   Mrs.  Archbold, 


HARD   CASH.  507 

with  more  tact,  sat  quietly  down  on  the  other.     They 
all  three  blew  their  whistles  shrill}-. 

Alfred  uttered  an  oath  and  rushed  at  the  door ;  but 
heard  heavy  feet  running  on  stone  passages  towards  the 
whistles,  and  felt  he  had  no  chance  out  that  way  ;  his 
dilating  eye  fell  upon  the  handle  of  the  old  defunct  door; 
he  made  a  high  leap,  came  down  with  his  left  foot  on  its 
knob  of  brass,  and,  though  of  course  he  could  not  stand 
on  it,  contrived  to  spring  from  it  slap  at  the  window  — 
Mrs.  Archbold  screamed  —  he  broke  the  glass  with  his 
shoulder,  and  tore  and  kicked  the  woodwork,  and 
squeezed  through  on  to  a  stone  ledge  outside,  and  stood 
there  bleeding  and  panting,  just  as  half  a  dozen  keepers 
burst  into  the  room  at  his  back.  He  was  more  than 
twenty  feet  from  the  ground ;  to  leap  down  was  death  or 
mutilation ;  he  saw  the  fly-man  driving  away.  He  yelled 
to  him,  "  Hy  !  hy  !  stop  !  stop  ! "  The  fly-man  stopped 
and  looked  round.  But  soon  as  he  saw  who  it  was,  he 
just  grinned :  Alfred  could  see  his  hideous  grin  ;  and  there 
was  the  rattle  of  chairs,  being  brought  to  the  window, 
and  men  were  mounting  softly  to  secure  him ;  a  coarse 
hand  stole  towards  his  ankle  ;  he  took  a  swift  step  and 
sprang  desperately  on  to  the  next  ledge  —  it  was  an  old 
manor  house,  and  these  ledges  were  nearly  a  foot  broad 
—  from  this  one  he  bounded  to  the  next,  and  then  to  a 
third,  the  last  but  one  on  this  side  of  the  building;  the 
corner  ledge  was  but  half  the  size,  and  offered  no  safe 
footing ;  but  close  to  it  he  saw  the  outside  leaves  of  a 
tree.  That  tree  then  must  grow  close  to  the  corner ; 
could  he  but  get  round  to  it,  he  might  yet  reach  the 
ground  whole.  Urged  by  that  terror  of  a  madhouse, 
which  is  natural  to  a  sane  man,  and  in  England  is  fed  by 
occasional  disclosures,  and  the  general  suspicion  they 
excite,  he  leaped  on  to  a  piece  of  stone  no  bigger  than 
one's  hat,  and  tli^n  whirled  himself  round  into  the  tree^ 
all  eyes  to  see  and  claws  to  grasp. 


508  HARD   CASH. 

It  was  a  weeping  asli ;  he  could  get  hold  of  nothing 
but  soft  yielding  slivers,  that  went  through  his  fingers, 
and  so  down  with  him  like  a  bulrush,  and  souse  he  went 
with  his  hands  full  of  green  leaves,  over  head  and  ears 
into  the  water  of  an  enormous  iron  tank  that  fed  the 
baths. 

The  heavy  plunge,  the  sudden  cold  water,  the  instant 
darkness,  were  appalling;  yet,  like  the  fox  among  the 
hounds,  the  gallant  young  gentleman  did  not  lose  heart 
nor  give  tongue.  He  came  up  gurgling  and  gasping,  and 
swimming  for  his  life  in  manly  silence ;  he  swam  round 
and  round  the  edge  of  the  huge  tank,  trying  in  vain  to 
get  a  hold  upon  its  cold  rusty  walls.  He  heard  whistles 
and  voices  about ;  they  came  faint  to  him  where  he  was, 
but  he  knew  they  could  not  be  very  far  off. 

Life  is  sweet.  It  flashed  across  him  how,  a  few  years 
before,  an  university  man  of  great  promise  had  perished 
miserably  in  a  tank  on  some  Swiss  mountain,  a  tank 
placed  for  the  comfort  of  travellers.  He  lifted  his  eyes 
to  heaven  in  despair  and  gave  one  great  sob. 

Then  he  turned  upon  his  back  and  floated ;  but  he  was 
obliged  to  paddle  with  his  hands  a  little  to  keep  up. 

A  window  opened  a  few  feet  above  him,  and  a  face 
peered  out  between  the  bars. 

Then  he  gave  all  up  for  lost,  and  looked  to  hear  a 
voice  denounce  him :  but  no ;  the  livid  face  and  staring 
eyes  at  the  window  took  no  notice  of  him  ;  it  was  a 
maniac,  whose  eyes,  bereft  of  reason,  conveyed  no  images 
to  the  sentient  brain ;  only  by  some  half-vegetable 
instinct  this  darkened  man  was  turning  towards  the 
moaning  sun,  and  staring  it  full  in  the  face ;  Alfred  saw 
the  rays  strike  and  sparkle  on  tliose  glassy  orbs,  and  fire 
them ;  yet  they  never  so  much  as  winked.  He  was 
appalled  yet  fascinated  by  this  weird  sight ;  could  not 
take  his  eyes  off  it,  and  shuddered  at  it  in  the  very 


HARD   CASH.  509 

water.  With  such  creatures  as  that  he  must  be  confined, 
or  die  miserably  like  a  mouse  in  a  basin  of  water. 

He  hesitated  between  two  horrors. 

Presently  his  foot  struck  something,  and  he  found  it 
was  a  large  pipe  that  entered  the  tank  to  the  distance  of 
about  a  foot.  This  pipe  was  not  more  than  three  feet 
under  water,  and  Alfred  soon  contrived  to  get  irpon  it, 
and  rest  his  fingers  upon  the  iron  edge  of  the  tank.  The 
position  was  painful;  yet  so  he  determiiied  to  remain  till 
night ;  and  then,  if  possible,  steal  away.  Every  faculty 
of  mind  and  body  was  strung  up  to  defend  himself 
against  the  wretches  who  had  entrapped  him. 

He  had  not  been  long  in  this  position,  when  voices 
approached,  and  next  the  shadow  of  a  ladder  moved 
across  the  wall  towards  him.  The  keepers  were  going 
to  search  his  pitiable  hiding-place.  They  knew,  what  he 
did  not,  that  there  was  no  outlet  from  the  premises  ;  so 
now,  having  hunted  every  other  corner  and  cranny,  they 
came,  by  what  is  called  the  exhaustive  process  of  reason- 
ing, to  this  tank ;  and  when  they  got  near  it,  something 
in  the  appearance  of  the  tree  caught  the  gardener's  quick 
eye.  Alfred,  quaking,  heard  him  say, ''  Look  here  !  He 
is  not  far  from  this." 

Another  voice  said,  "  Then  the  Lord  have  mercy  on 
him ;  why,  there's  seven  foot  of  water ;  I  measured  it 
last  night." 

At  this  Alfred  was  conscious  of  a  movement  and  a 
murmur,  that  proved  humanity  was  not  extinct ;  and  the 
ladder  was  fixed  close  to  the  tank,  and  feet  came  hastily 
up  it. 

Alfred  despaired. 

But,  as  usual  with  spirits  so  quick-witted  and  resolute, 
it  was  but  for  a  moment.  "  One  man  in  his  time  plays 
many  animals ; "  he  caught  at  the  words  he  had  heard, 
and  played  the  game  the  jackal  desperate  plays  in  India, 


510  HARD   CASH. 

the  fox  in  England,  the  elephant  in  Ceylon :  he  feigned 
death ;  filled  his  mouth  with  water,  floated  on  his  back 
paddling  imperceptibly,  and  half  closed  his  eyes. 

He  was  rewarded  by  a  loud  shout  of  dismay  just  above 
his  head,  and  very  soon  another  ladder  was  placed  on 
the  other  side,  and  with  ropes  and  hands  he  was  drawn 
out  and  carried  down  the  ladder:  he  took  this  oppor- 
tunity to  discharge  the  water  from  his  mouth ;  on  which 
a  coarse  voice  said,  "  Look  there !  his  troubles  are  at 
an  end." 

However,  they  laid  him  on  the  grass,  and  sent  for  the 
doctor;  then  took  off  his  coat,  and  one  of  them  began  to 
feel  his  heart  to  see  whether  there  was  any  pulsation  left ; 
he*found  it  thumping.  "Look  out,"  he  cried  in  some 
alarm;  "he's  shamming,  Abraham." 

But,  before  the  words  were  well  uttered,  Alfred,  who 
was  a  practised  gymnast,  bounded  off  the  ground  without 
touching  it  with  his  hands,  and  fled  like  a  deer  towards 
the  front  of  the  house :  for  he  remembered  the  open 
iron  gate :  the  attendants  followed  shouting,  and  whistle 
answered  whistle  all  over  the  grounds.  Alfred  got  safe 
to  the  iron  gate  :  alas  !  it  had  been  closed  at  the  first 
wliistle  twenty  minutes  ago.  He  turned  in  rage  and 
desperation,  and  the  head  keeper,  a  powerful  man,  was 
rushing  incautiously  upon  him.  Alfred  instantly  steadied 
himself,  and  with  his  long  arm  caught  the  man  in  full 
career  a  left-handed  blow  like  the  kick  of  a  pony,  that 
laid  his  cheek  open  and  knocked  him  stupid  and  stagger- 
ing ;  he  followed  it  up  like  lightning  with  his  right, 
and,  throwing  his  whole  weight  into  this  second  blow, 
sent  the  staggering  man  to  grass ;  slipped  past  another, 
and  skirting  the  south  side  of  the  house  got  to  the 
tank  again  well  in  advance  of  his  pursuers,  seized  the 
ladder,  carried  it  to  the  garden-wall,  and  was  actually 
half  way  up  it,  and  saw  the  open  country  and  liberty, 


HAKD  CASH.  511 

when  the  ladder  was  dragged  away  and  he  fell  heavily 
to  the  ground,  and  a  keeper  threw  himself  bodily  on  him. 
Alfred  half  expected  this,  and,  drawing  up  his  foot  in 
time,  dashed  it  furiously  in  the  coming  face,  actually 
knocking  the  man  backwards  ;  another  kneeled  on  his 
chest ;  Alfred  caught  him  by  the  throat  so  felly  that  he 
lost  all  power,  and  they  rolled  over  and  over  together, 
and  Alfred  got  clear  and  ran  for  it  again,  and  got  on  the 
middle  of  the  lawn,  and  hallooed  to  the  house,  "  Hy  !  hy  ! 
Are  there  any  more  sane  men  imprisoned  there  ?  come 
out,  and  fight  for  your  lives ! "  Instantly  the  open 
windows  were  filled  with  white  faces,  some  grinning, 
some  exulting,  all  greatly  excited ;  and  a  hideous  uproar 
shook  the  whole  place  —  for  the  poor  souls  were  all  sane 
in  their  own  opinion  —  and  the  whole  force  of  attendants, 
two  of  them  bleeding  profusely  from  his  blows,  made  a 
cordon  and  approached  him  ;  but  he  was  too  cunning  to 
wait  to  be  fairl}^  surrounded;  he  made  his  rush  at  an 
under  keeper,  feinted  at  his  head,  caught  him  a  heavy 
blow  in  the  pit  of  the  stomach,  doubled  him  up  in  a 
moinent,  and  off  again,  leaving  the  man  on  his  knees 
vomiting  and  groaning.  Several  mild  maniacs  ran  out 
in  A'"ast  agitation,  and  to  curry  favor,  offered  to  help  catch 
him.  Vast  was  their  zeal.  But  when  it  came  to  the 
point,  they  only  danced  wildly  about  and  cried,  "  Stop 
him !  for  God's  sake  stop  him !  he's  ill,  dreadfully  ill ; 
poor  wretch  !  knock  out  his  brains  ! "  And,  whenever  he 
came  near  them,  away  they  ran  whining  like  kicked  curs. 
Mrs.  Archbold,  looking  out  at  a  window,  advised  them 
all  to  let  him  alone,  and  she  would  come  out  and  persuade 
him.  But  they  would  not  be  advised :  they  chased  him 
about  the  lawn ;  but  so  swift  of  foot  was  he,  and  so  long 
in  the  reach,  that  no  one  of  them  could  stop  him,  nor 
indeed  come  near  him,  without  getting  a  facer  that  came 
like  a  flash  of  lightning. 


612  HARD   CASH. 

At  last,  however,  they  got  so  well  round  him,  he  saw 
Ills  chance  was  gone:  he  took  off  his  hat  to  Mrs.  Arch- 
bold  at  the  window,  and  said  quietly,  "I  surrender  to 
i/ou,  madam." 

At  these  words  they  rushed  on  him  rashly  ;  on  this  he 
planted  two  blows  right  and  left,  swift  as  a  cat  attacked 
by  dogs ;  administered  two  fearful  black  eyes,  and  in- 
stantly folded  his  arms,  saying  haughtily,  "  It  was  to  the 
lady  I  yielded,  not  to  you  fellows." 

They  seized  him,  shook  their  lists  in  his  face,  cursed 
him,  and  pinned  him ;  he  was  quite  passive  :  they  hand- 
cuffed him,  and  drove  him  before  them,  shoving  him 
every  now  and  then  roughly  by  the  shoulders.  He  made 
no  resistance,  spoke  no  word.  They  took  him  to  the 
strong-room,  and  manacled  his  ankles  together  with  an 
iron  hobble,  and  then  strapped  them  to  the  bedposts, 
and  fastened  his  body  down  by  broad  bands  of  ticking 
with  leathern  straps  at  the  ends :  and  so  left  him  more 
helpless  than  a  swaddled  infant.  The  hurry  and  excite- 
ment of  defence  were  over,  and  a  cold  stupor  of  misery 
came  down  and  sat  like  lead  on  him.  He  lay  mute  as 
death  in  his  gloomy  cell,  a  tomb  within  a  living  tomb. 
And,  as  he  lay,  deeper  horror  grew  and  grew  in  his 
dilating  eyes :  gusts  of  rage  swept  over  him,  shook  him, 
and  passed :  then  gusts  of  despairing  tenderness ;  all 
came  and  went,  but  his  bonds.  What  would  his  Julia 
think  ?  If  he  could  only  let  her  know  !  At  this  thought 
he  called,  he  shouted,  he  begged  for  a  messenger ;  there 
was  no  reply.  The  cry  of  a  dangerous  lunatic  from  the 
strong-room  was  less  heeded  here  than  a  bark  from  any 
dog-kennel  in  Christendom.  "  This  is  my  father's  doing," 
he  said.  "  Curse  him  !  curse  him  !  curse  him  !  "  and  his 
brain  seemed  on  fire,  his  temples  throbbed :  he  vowed  to 
God  to  be  revenged  on  his  father. 

Then  he  writhed  at  his  own  meanness  in  coming  to 


HARD   CASH.  518 

visit  a  servant,  and  liis  folly  in  being  caught  by  so  shal- 
low an  artifice.  He  groaned  aloud.  The  clock  in  the 
hall  struck  ten.  There  was  just  time  to  get  back  if  they 
Avould  lend  him  a  conveyance.  He  shouted,  he  screamed, 
he  prayed.  He  offered  terms  humbly,  piteously ;  he  would 
forgive  his  father,  forgive  them  all,  he  would  say  no  more 
about  the  money,  would  do  anything,  consent  to  anything, 
if  they  would  only  let  him  keep  faith  with  his  Julia : 
they  had  better  consent,  and  not  provoke  his  vengeance. 
" Have  mercy  on  me  !  "  he  cried.  "Don't  make  me  in- 
sult her  I  love.  They  will  all  be  waiting  for  me.  It 
is  my  wedding-day  ;  you  can't  have  known  it  is  my  wed- 
ding-day ;  fiends,  monsters,  I  tell  you  it  is  my  wedding- 
day.  Oh,  pray  send  the  lady  to  me :  she  can't  be  all 
stone,  and  my  misery  might  melt  a  stone."  He  listened 
for  an  answer,  he  prayed  for  an  answer.  There  was 
none.  Once  in  a  madhouse,  the  sanest  man  is  mad, 
however  interested  and  barefaced  the  motive  of  the 
relative  who  has  brought  two  of  the  most  venal  class 
upon  the  earth  to  sign  away  his  wits  behind  his  back : 
and  once  hobbled  and  strapped,  he  is  a  dangerous  maniac, 
for  just  so  man\-  days,  weeks,  or  years,  as  the  hobbles, 
handcuffs,  and  jacket  happen  to  be  left  upon  him  by 
inhumanity,  economy,  or  simple  carelessness.  Poor 
Alfred's  cries  and  prayers  were  heard :  but  no  more 
noticed  than  the  night  howl  of  a  wolf  on  some  distant 
mountain.  All  was  sullen  silence,  but  the  grating  tongue 
of  the  clock,  which  told  the  victim  of  a  legislature's 
shallowness  and  a  father's  avarice  that  Time,  deaf  to  his 
woe,  as  were  the  walls,  the  men,  the  women,  and  the 
cutting  bands,  was  stealing  away  with  iron  finger  his  last 
chance  of  meeting  his  beloved  at  the  altar. 

He  closed  his  eyes,  and  saw  her  lovelier  than  ever, 
dressed  all  in  white,  waiting  for  him  with  sweet  concern 
in  that  peerless  face.     "  Julia  !  Julia !  "  he  cried,  with  a 


514  HARD   CASH. 

loud  heart-broken  cry.  The  half-hour  struck.  At  that 
he  struggled,  he  writhed,  he  bounded :  he  made  the  very- 
room  shake,  and  lacerated  his  flesh;  but  that  was  all. 
No  answer.     No  motion.     No  help.     No  hope. 

The  perspiration  rolled  down  his  steaming  body.  The 
tears  burst  from  his  young  eyes  and  ran  down  his  cheeks. 
He  sobbed,  and  sobbing  almost  choked,  so  tight  were  his 
linen  bands  upon  his  bursting  bosom. 

He  lay  still  exhausted. 

The  clock  ticked  harshly  on :  the  rest  was  silence. 
With  this  miserable  exception;  ever  and  anon  the  vic- 
tim's jammed  body  shuddered  so  terribly  it  shook  and 
rattled  the  iron  bedstead,  and  told  of  the  storm  within, 
the  agony  of  the  racked  and  all-foreboding  soul. 

For  then  rolled  over  that  young  head  hours  of  mortal 
anguish  that  no  tongue  of  man  can  utter,  nor  pen  can 
shadow.  Chained  sane  amongst  the  mad;  on  his  wed- 
ding-day ;  expecting  with  tied  hands  the  sinister  acts  of 
the  soul-murderers  who  had  the  power  to  make  their  lie 
a  truth!  We  can  paint  the  body  writhing  vainly  against 
its  unjust  bonds ;  but  who  can  paint  the  loathing,  agonized 
soul  in  a  mental  situation  so  ghastly  ?  For  my  part  I 
feel  it  in  my  heart  of  hearts  ;  but  am  impotent  to  convey 
it  to  others ;  impotent,  impotent. 

Pray  think  of  it  for  yourselves,  men  and  women,  if 
you  have  not  sivo)'?i  never  to  think  over  a  novel.  Think 
of  it  for  your  own  sakes ;  Alfred's  turn  to-day,  it  may  be 
yours  to-morrow 


HARD  CASH.  615 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 

At  two  o'clock  an  attendant  stole  on  tiptoe  to  the 
strong-room,  unlocked  the  door,  and  peeped  cautiously 
in.  Seeing  the  dangerous  maniac  quiet,  he  entered  with 
a  plate  of  lukewarm  beef  and  potatoes,  and  told  him 
bluntly  to  eat.  The  crushed  one  said  he  could  not  eat. 
"You  must,"  said  the  man.  "Eat!"  said  Alfred;  "of 
what  do  you  think  I  am  made  ?  Pray  put  it  down,  and 
listen  to  me.  I'll  give  you  a  hundred  pounds  to  let  me 
out  of  this  place ;  two  hundred  ;  three." 

A  coarse  laugh  greeted  this  proposal.  "  You  might  as 
well  have  made  it  a  thousand  when  you  was  about  it." 

"  So  I  will,"  said  Alfred,  eagerly,  "  and  thank  you  on 
my  knees  besides.  Ah,  I  see  you  don't  believe  I  have 
money.  I  give  you  my  honor  I  have  ten  thousand 
pounds :  it  was  settled  on  me  by  my  grandfather,  and  I 
came  of  age  last  week." 

"  Oh,  that's  like  enough,"  said  the  man,  carelessly. 
"  Well,  you  are  green.  Do  you  think  them  as  sent  you 
here  will  let  you  spend  your  money  ?  ISTo,  your  money 
is  theirs  now." 

And  he  sat  down  with  the  plate  on  his  knee,  and  began 
to  cut  the  meat  in  small  pieces ;  while  his  careless  words 
entered  Alfred's  heart,  and  gave  him  such  a  glimpse  of 
sinister  motives  and  dark  acts  to  come  as  set  him  shud- 
dering. 

"  Come,  none  o'  that,"  said  the  man,  suspecting  this 
shudder;  he  thought  it  was  the  prologue  to  some  desperate 
act;  for  all  a  chained  madman  does  is  read  upon  this 
plan }  his  terror  passes  for  rage,  his  very  sobs  for  snarls. 


516  HARD   CASH. 

'<0h,  be  honest  with  me,"  said  Alfred,  imploringly. 
"  Do  you  think  it  is  to  steal  my  money  the  wretch  has 
stolen  my  liberty  ?  "' 

"  What  wretch  ?  " 

"  My  father." 

'"  I  know  nothing  about  it,"  said  the  man,  sullenly  ;  "  in 
course  there's  mostly  money  behind,  Avhen  young  gents 
like  you  come  to  be  took  care  of.  But  you  mustn't  go 
thinking  of  that,  or  you'll  excite  yourself  again  ;  come, 
you  eat  your  vittles  like  a  Christian,  and  no  more  about 
it." 

"  Leave  it,  that  is  a  good  fellow ;  and  then  I'll  try  and 
eat  a  little  by  and  by.  But  my  grief  is  great  —  0  Julia ! 
Julia  !  —  what  shall  I  do  ?  And  I  am  not  used  to  eat 
at  this  time.     "Will  you,  my  good  fellow  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  will,  now  you  behave  like  a  gentleman,"  said 
the  man. 

Then  Alfred  coaxed  him  to  take  off  the  handcuffs.  He 
refused,  but  ended  by  doing  it ;  and  so  left  him. 

Four  more  leaden  hours  rolled  by,  and  then  this  same 
attendant  (his  name  was  Brown)  brought  him  a  cup  of 
tea.  It  was  welcome  to  his  parched  throat ;  he  drank  it, 
and  ate  a  mouthful  of  the  meat  to  please  the  man,  and 
even  asked  for  some  more  tea. 

At  eight  four  keepers  came  into  his  room,  undressed 
him,  compelled  him  to  make  his  toilet,  etc.,  before 
them,  which  put  him  to  shame  —  being  a  gentleman  — 
almost  as  much  as  it  would  a  woman  :  they  then  hobbled 
him,  and  fastened  his  ankles  to  the  bed,  and  put  his  hands 
into  muffles,  but  did  not  confine  his  body ;  because  they 
had  lost  a  lucrative  lodger  only  a  month  ago,  throttled 
at  night  in  a  strait-waistcoat. 

Alfred  lay  in  this  plight,  and  compared  with  anguish 
unspeakable  his  joyful  anticipations  of  this  night  with 
the  strange  and  cruel  reality.     "  My  wedding-night !  my 


HARD   CASH.  517 

wedding-night !  "  he  cried  aloud,  and  burst  into  a  passion 
of  grief. 

By  and  hy  he  consoled  himself  a  little  with  the  hope 
that  he  could  not  long  be  incarcerated  as  a  madman  being 
sane ;  and  his  good  wit  told  him  his  only  chance  was 
calmness.  He  would  go  to  sleep  and  recover  composure 
to  bear  his  wrongs  with  dignity,  and  quietly  baffle  his 
enemies. 

Just  as  he  was  dropping  off,  he  felt  something  crawl 
over  his  face.  Instinctively  he  made  a  violent  motion 
to  put  his  hands,  up.  Both  hands  were  confined ;  he 
could  not  move  them.  He  bounded,  he  flung,  he  writhed. 
His  little  persecutors  were  quiet  a  moment,  but  the  next 
they  began  again ;  in  vain  he  rolled  and  writhed,  and 
shuddered  with  loathing  inexpressible.  The}'  crawled, 
they  smelt,  they  bit. 

Many  a  poor  soul  these  little  wretches  had  distracted 
with  the  very  sleeplessness  the  madhouse  professed  to 
cure,  not  create.  In  conjunction  with  the  opiates,  the 
confinement,  and  the  gloom  of  Silverton  House,  they 
had  driven  many  a  feeble  mind  across  the  line  that 
divides  the  weak  and  nervous  from  the  unsound. 

When  he  found  there  was  no  help,  Alfred  clenched  his 
teeth  and  bore  it.  '"'Bite  on,  ye  little  wretches,"  he  said  ; 
"bite  on,  and  divert  my  mind  from  deeper  stings  than 
yours  —  if  you  can." 

And  they  did,  a  little. 

Thus  passed  the  night  in  mental  agon}^,  and  bodily 
irritation  and  disgust.  At  daybreak  the  feasters  on  his 
flesh  retired,  and  utterly  worn  out  and  exhausted  he 
sank  into  a  deep  sleep. 

At  half-past  seven  the  head  keeper  and  three  more 
came  in,  and  made  him  dress  before  them.  They  hand- 
cuffed him,  and  took  him  down  to  breakfast  in  the  noisy 
ward,  set  him  down  on  a  little  bench  by  the  wall  like  a 


518  HARD  CASH. 

naughty  boy,  and  ordered  a  dangerous  maniac  to  feed 
him. 

The  dangerous  maniac  obeyed,  and  went  and  sat  beside 
Alfred  Avith  a  basin  of  thick  gruel  and  a  great  wooden 
spoon.  He  shovelled  the  gruel  down  his  charge's  throat 
mighty  superciliously  from  the  very  first;  and  presently, 
falling  into  some  favorite  and  absorbing  train  of  thought, 
he  fixed  his  eye  on  vacancy,  and  handed  the  spoonfuls 
over  his  left  shoulder  with  such  rapidity  and  reckless- 
ness that  it  was  more  like  sowing  than  feeding.  Alfred 
cried  out,  "  Quarter !  I  can't  eat  so»  fast  as  that,  old 
fellow." 

Something  in  his  tone  struck  the  maniac ;  he  looked 
at  Alfred  full.  Alfred  looked  at  him  in  return,  and 
smiled  kindly  but  sadly. 

"  Hallo  !  "  cried  the  maniac. 

"What's  up  now?  "  said  a  keeper,  fiercely. 

"Why,  this  man  is  sane;  as  sane  as  I  am." 

At  this  there  was  a  hoarse  laugh. 

"  Saner,"  persisted  the  maniac,  "  for  I  am  a  little 
queer  at  times,  you  know." 

"And  no  mistake,  Jemmy.  Now  what  makes  you 
think  he  is  sane  ?  " 

"  Looked  me  full  in  the  face,  and  smiled  at  me." 

"  Oh,  that  is  your  test,  is  it  ?  " 

"  Yes,  it  is.  You  try  it  on  any  of  those  mad  beggars 
there,  and  see  if  they  can  stand  it." 

"Who  invented  gunpowder  ?  "  said  one  of  the  insulted 
persons,  looking  as  sly  and  malicious  as  a  magpie  going 
to  steal. 

Jemmy  exploded  directly:  "I  did,  ye  rascal,  ye  liar, 
ye  rogue,  ye  Baconian!"  and  going  higher,  and  higher, 
and  higher  in  this  strain,  was  very  soon  handcutfed 
with  Alfred's  handcuffs,  and  seated  on  Alfred's  bench, 
and  tied  to  two  rinses  in  the  wall.     On  this  his  martial 


HAED   CASH.  519 

ardor  went  down  to  zero.  "  Hei-e  is  treatment,  sir,"  said 
he  piteously  to  Alfred.  "  I  see  3*011  are  a  gentleman ; 
now  look  at  this.  All  spite  and  jealousy  because  I 
invented  that  invaluable  substance,  which  has  done  so 
much  to  prolong  human  life  and  alleviate  human  misery." 

Alfred  was  now  ordered  to  feed  Jemmy,  which  he  did, 
so  quickly  were  their  parts  inverted. 

Directly  after  breakfast  Alfred  demanded  to  see  the 
proprietor  of  the  asylum. 

Answer :  Doesn't  live  here. 

The  doctor  then. 

Oh,  he  has  not  come. 

This  monstrosity  irritated  Alfred.  "  Well,  then,"  said 
he,  "whoever  it  is  that  rules  this  den  of  thieves  when 
those  two  are  out  of  it." 

"  I  rule  in  Mr.  Baker's  absence,"  said  the  head  keeper, 
"and  I'll  teach  you  manners,  you  young  blackguard. 
Handcuff  him." 

In  five  minutes  Alfred  was  handcuffed  and  flung  into 
a  padded  room. 

"  Stay  there  till  j^ou  know  how  to  speak  to  your 
betters,^'  said  the  head  keeper. 

Alfred  walked  up  and  down,  grinding  his  teeth  with 
rage,  for  five  long  hours. 

Just  before  dinner  Brown  came  and  took  him  into  a 
parlor,  where  Mrs.  Archbold  was  seated  writing.  Brown 
retired.  The  lady  finished  what  she  was  doing,  and 
kept  Alfred  standing,  like  a  schoolboy  going  to  be 
lectui-ed.  At  last  she  said,  "  I  have  sent  for  you  to  give 
you  a  piece  of  advice :  it  is  to  try  and  make  friends  with 
the  attendants." 

"  Me  make  friends  with  the  scoundrels !  I  thirst  for 
their  lives.  0  madam,  I  fear  I  shall  kill  somebody 
here." 

"Foolish   boy,  they  are   too   strong   for   you.     Your 


520  HARD   CASH. 

worst  enemies  could  wish  nothing  worse  for  you  than 
that  you  should  provoke  thein.^'  In  saying  these  words 
she  was  so  much  more  kind  and  womanly  that  Alfred 
conceived  hopes,  and  burst  out,  *'0  madam,  you  are 
human  then ;  you  seem  to  pity  me ;  pray  give  me  pen 
and  paper,  and  let  me  write  to  my  friends  to  get  me  out 
of  this  terrible  place ;  do  not  refuse  me." 

jVIrs.  Archbold  resumed  her  distant  manner  without 
a]i])avent  effort ;  she  said  nothing,  but  she  placed  writing 
materials  before  him.  She  then  left  the  room  and  locked 
him  in. 

He  wrote  a  few  hasty,  ardent  words  to  Julia,  telling 
her  how  he  had  been  entrapped,  but  not  a  word  about 
his  sufferings  —  he  was  too  generous  to  give  her  need- 
less pain  —  and  a  line  to  Edward,  imploring  him  to  come 
at  once  with  a  lawyer  and  an  honest  physician,  and 
liberate  him. 

Mrs.  Archbold  returned  soon  after,  and  he  asked  her 
if  she  would  lend  him  sealing-Avax.  "  I  dare  not  trust 
to  an  envelope  in  such  a  place  as  this,"  said  he.  She 
lent  him  sealing-wax. 

"But  how  am  I  to  post  it ? "  said  he. 

"  Easily ;  there  is  a  box  in  the  house ;  I  will  show 
you." 

She  took  him  and  showed  him  the  box ;  he  put  his 
letters  into  it,  and  in  the  ardor  of  his  gratitude  kissed 
her  hand;  she  winced  a  little  and  said,  "Mind,  this  is 
not  by  my  advice ;  I  would  never  tell  my  friends  I  had 
been  in  a  madhouse,  oh,  never.  I  would  be  calm,  make 
friends  with  the  servants  —  they  are  the  real  masters  — 
and  never  let  a  creature  know  where  I  had  been." 

"Oh,  you  don't  know  my  Julia,"  said  Alfred;  "she 
will  never  desert  me,  never  think  the  worse  of  me 
because  I  have  been  entrapped  illegally  into  a  mad- 
house." 


HAKD   CASH.  521 

"Illegally,  Mr.  Hardie!  you  deceive  yourself.  Mr. 
Baker  told  me  the  order  was  signed  by  a  relation,  and 
the  certificates  by  first-rate  lunacy  doctors." 

"AVhat  on  earth  has  that  to  do  with  it,  madam,  when 
I  am  as  sane  as  you  are  ?  " 

"It  has  everything  to  do  with  it.  Mr.  Baker  could  be 
punished  for  confining  a  madman  in  this  house  without 
an  order  and  two  certificates;  but  he  couldn't  for  con- 
fining a  sane  person  under  an  order  and  two  certificates." 

Alfred  could  not  believe  this,  but  she  convinced  him 
that  it  was  so. 

Then  he  began  to  fear  he  should  be  imprisoned  for 
years ;  he  turned  pale,  and  looked  at  her  so  piteously, 
that  to  soothe  him  she  told  him  sane  people  were  never 
kept  in  asylums  now,  they  only  used  to  be. 

'•'  How  can  they  ?  "  said  she.  "  The  London  asylums 
are  visited  four  times  a  year  by  the  commissioners,  and 
the  country  asylums  six  times,  twice  by  the  commission- 
ers, and  four  times  by  the  justices.  We  shall  be  inspected 
this  week  or  next,  and  then  you  can  speak  to  the  jus- 
tices ;  mind  and  be  calm  ;  say  it  is  a  mistake ;  offer  tes- 
timony ;  and  ask  either  to  be  discharged  at  once,  or  to 
have  a  commission  of  lunacy  sit  on  you ;  ten  to  one  your 
friends  will  not  face  public  proceedings ;  but  you  must 
begin  at  the  foundation,  by  making  the  servants  friendly 
—  and  by  —  being  calm."  She  then  fixed  her  large  gray 
eye  on  him  and  said,  "Xow,  if  I  let  you  dine  with  me 
and  the  first-class  patients,  will  you  pledge  me  your 
honor  to  '  be  calm,'  and  not  attempt  to  escape  ?  "  Alfred 
hesitated  at  that.  Her  eye  dissected  his  character  all 
the  time.  "I  promise,"  said  he  at  last,  with  a  deep 
sigh.  "]\Iay  I  sit  by  you?  There  is  something  so 
repugnant  in  the  very  idea  of  mad  people." 

"Try  and  remember  it  is  their  misfortune,  not  their 
crime,"  said  Mrs.  Archbold,  just  like  a  matronly  sister 
admonishing  a  brother  from  school. 


522  HARD  CASH. 

She  then  whistled  in  a  whisper  for  Brown,  who  was 
lurking  about  unseen  all  the  time.  He  emerged  and 
walked  about  with  Alfred,  and,  by  and  by,  looking  down 
from  a  corridor,  they  saw  ]\[rs.  Archbold  driving  the 
second-class  Avomen  before  her  to  dinner  like  a  flock  of 
animals.  Whenever  one  stopped  to  look  at  anything,  or 
try  and  gossip,  the  philanthropic  Archbold  went  at  her 
just  like  a  shepherd's  dog  at  a  refractory  sheep,  caught 
her  by  the  shoulders,  and  drove  her  squeaking,  headlong. 

At  dinner  Alfred  was  so  fortunate  as  to  sit  opposite  a 
gentleman  who  nodded  and  grinned  at  him  all  dinner 
with  a  horrible  leer.  He  could  not,  however,  enjoy  this 
to  the  full,  for  a  little  distraction  at  his  elbow :  his  right- 
hand  neighbor  kept  forking  pieces  out  of  his  plate  and 
substituting  others  from  his  own;  there  was  even  a 
tendency  to  gristle  in  the  latter.  Alfred  remonstrated 
gently  at  first ;  the  gentleman  forbore  a  minute,  then 
recommenced ;  Alfred  laid  a  hand  very  quietly  on  his 
wrist  and  put  it  back.  Mrs.  Archbold's  quick  eye  sur- 
prised this  gesture.  "  What  is  the  matter  there  ?  "  said 
she. 

"Oh,  nothing  serious,  madam,"  replied  Alfred,  "only 
this  gentleman  does  me  the  honor  to  prefer  the  contents 
of  my  plate  to  his  own." 

"  Mr.  Cooper ! "  said  the  Archbold,  sternly. 

Cooper,  the  head-keeper,  pounced  on  the  offender, 
seized  him  roughly  by  the  collar,  dragged  him  from  the 
table,  knocking  his  chair  down,  and  bundled  him  out  of 
the  room  with  ignominy  and  fracas,  in  spite  of  a  remon- 
strance from  Alfred,  "  Oh,  don't  be  so  rough  with  the 
poor  man." 

Then  the  novice  laid  down  his  knife  and  fork,  and  ate 
no  more.  "I  am  grieved  at  my  own  ill-nature  in  com- 
plaining of  such  a  trifle,"  said  he,  when  all  Avas  quiet. 

The  company  stared  considerably  at  this  remark;  it 


HARD  CASH.  523 

seemed  to  them  a  most  morbid  perversion  of  sensibility ; 
for  the  deranged,  thin-skinned  beyond  conception  in 
their  own  persons,  and  alive  to  the  shadow  of  the  shade 
of  a  wrong,  are  stoically  indifferent  to  the  woes  of  others. 

Though  Alfred  was  quiet  as  a  lamb  all  day,  the  attend- 
ants returned  him  to  the  padded  room  at  night,  because 
he  had  been  there  last  night ;  but  they  only  fastened  one 
ankle  to  the  bedpost,  so  he  encountered  his  Liliputians 
on  tolerably  fair  terms  —  numbers  excepted ;  they 
swarmed.  Unable  to  sleep,  he  put  out  his  hand  and 
groped  for  his  clothes.  But  they  were  outside  the  door, 
according  to  rule. 

Day  broke  at  last,  and  he  took  his  breakfast  quietly 
with  the  iirst-class  patients.  It  consisted  of  cool  tea  in 
small  basins  instead  of  cups,  and  tablespoons  instead  of 
teaspoons,  and  thick  slices  of  stale  bread  thinly  buttered. 
A  few  patients  had  gruel  or  porridge  instead  of  tea. 
After  breakfast  Alfred  sat  in  the  first-class  patients' 
room,  and  counted  the  minutes  and  the  hours  till  Edward 
should  come.  After  dinner  he  counted  the  hours  till 
tea-time.  Xobody  came,  and  he  went  to  bed  in  such 
grief  and  disappointment  as  some  men  live  to  eighty 
without  ever  knowing. 

But  when  two  o'clock  came  next  da}',  and  no  Edward, 
and  no  reply,  then  the  distress  of  his  soul  deepened. 
He  implored  ^Irs.  Archbold  to  tell  him  what  was  the 
cause.  She  shook  her  head,  and  said,  gravel}',  it  was 
but  too  common  ;  a  man's  nearest  and  dearest  were  very 
apt  to  hold  aloof  from  him  the  moment  he  was  put  into 
an  asylum. 

Here  an  old  lady  put  in  her  word.  "Ah,  sir,  you 
must  not  hope  to  hear  from  anybody  in  this  place.  Why, 
I  have  been  two  years  writing  and  writing,  and  can't  get 
a  line  from  my  own  daughter.  To  be  sure  she  is  a  fine 
lady  now,  but  it  was  her  poor  neglected  mother  that 


524  HAED   CASH. 

pinclied  and  pinched  to  give  her  a  good  education,  and 
that  is  how  she  caught  a  good  husband.  But  it's  my 
belief  the  post  in  our  hall  isn't  a  real  post,  but  only  a 
box;  and  I  think  it  is  contrived  so  as  the  letters  fall 
down  a  pipe  into  that  Baker's  hands,  and  so  then  when 
the  postman  comes  "  — 

The  Archbold  bent  her  bushy  brows  on  this  chatty 
personage.  "  Be  quiet,  Mrs.  Dent ;  you  are  talking  non- 
sense, and  exciting  yourself ;  you  know  you  are  not  to 
speak  on  that  topic.     Take  care." 

The  jDOor  old  woman  was  shut  up  like  a  knife,  for  the 
Archbold  had  a  way  of  addressing  her  own  sex  that 
crushed  them.  The  change  was  almost  comically  sudden 
to  the  mellow  tones  in  which  she  addressed  Alfred  the 
very  next  moment  on  the  very  same  subject.  "  jNlr. 
Baker,  I  believe,  sees  the  letters;  and,  where  our  poor 
patients  (with  a  glance  at  Dent)  write  in  such  a  way  as 
to  wound  and  perhaps  terrify  those  who  are  in  reality 
their  best  friends,  they  are  not  always  sent.  But  I  con- 
clude your  letters  have  gone.  If  you  feel  you  can  be 
calm,  why  not  ask  Mr.  Baker  ?  He  is  in  the  house  now, 
for  a  wonder." 

Alfred  promised  to  be  calm  ;  and  she  got  him  an  inter- 
view with  Mr.  Baker. 

He  was  a  full-blown  pawnbroker  of  Silverton  town, 
whom  the  legislature,  Avith  that  keen  knowledge  of 
human  nature  which  marks  the  British  senate,  permitted, 
and  still  permits,  to  speculate  in  insanity,  stipulating, 
however,  that  the  upper  servant  of  all  in  his  asylum 
should  be  a  doctor ;  but  omitting  to  provide  against  the 
instant  dismissal  of  the  said  doctor  should  he  go  and  rob 
his  employer  of  a  lodger  —  by  curing  a  patient. 

As  you  are  not  the  British  legislature,  I  need  not  tell 
you  that  to  this  pawnbroker  insanity  mattered  nothing, 
nor  sanity ;  his  trade  lay  in  catching  and  keeping  and 


HAKD   CASH.  525 

Stinting  as  many  lodgers,  sane  or  insane,  as  he  could 
hold. 

There  are  certain  formulae  in  these  quiet  retreats  which 
uaturally  impose  upon  greenhorns  such  as  Alfred  certainly 
was,  and  some  visiting  justices  and  lunacy  commissioners 
would  seem  to  be.  Baker  had  been  a  lodging-house  keeper 
for  certified  people  many  years,  and  knew  all  the  formulae, 
—  some  call  them  dodges ;  but  these  must  surely  be  vulgar 
minds. 

Baker  worked  "  the  see-saw  formula." 

"Letters,  young  gentleman?''  said  he,  "they  are  not 
in  my  department.  They  go  into  the  surgery,  and  are 
passed  by  the  doctor,  except  those  he  examines  and  orders 
to  be  detained." 

Alfred  demanded  the  doctor. 

"  He  is  gone,"  was  the  reply.     (Formula.) 

Alfred  found  it  as  hard  to  be  calm,  as  some  people  find 
it  easy  to  say  that  word  over  the  wrongs  of  others. 

The  next  day,  but  not  till  the  afternoon,  he  caught  the 
doctor.  "  My  letters  !  Surely,  sir,  you  have  not  been  so 
cruel  as  to  intercept  them  ?  " 

"I  intercept  no  letters,"  said  the  doctor,  as  if  scandal- 
ized at  the  very  idea.  "I  see  who  writes  them,  and  hand 
them  to  ]Mr.  Baker,  with  now  and  then  a  remark.  If  an} 
are  detained,  the  responsibility  rests  with  him." 

"  He  says  it  rests  with  you." 

"You  must  have  misunderstood  him." 

"  Not  at  all,  sir.  One  thing  is  clear,  my  letters  have 
been  stolen  either  by  him  or  you,  and  I  will  know 
which." 

The  doctor  parried  with  a  formula. 

"  You  are  excited,  IMr.  Hardie.  Be  calm,  sir,  be  calm  ; 
or  you  will  be  here  all  the  longer." 

All  Alfred  obtained  by  this  interview  was  a  powerful 
opiate.      The  head  keeper  brought  it  him  in  bed.     He 


626  HARD  CASH. 

declined  to  take  it.  The  man  whistled,  and  the  room 
filled  with  keepers. 

"Now,"  said  Cooper,  "down  with  it,  or  you'll  have  to 
be  drenched  with  this  cowhorn." 

"You  had  better  take  it,  sir,"  said  Brown;  "the  doctor 
has  ordered  it  you." 

"The  doctor  ?     Well,  let  me  see  the  doctor  about  it." 

"  He  is  gone." 

"  He  never  ordered  it  me,"  said  Alfred.  Then  fixing 
his  eyes  sternly  on  Cooper,  "  You  miscreants,  you  want 
to  poison  me.    Xo,  I  will  not  take  it.     Murder !  murder ! " 

Then  ensued  a  struggle,  on  which  I  draw  a  veil ;  but 
numbers  won  the  day,  with  the  help  of  handcuffs  and  a 
cowhorn. 

Brown  went  and  told  Mrs.  Archbold,  and  what  Alfred 
had  said. 

"  Don't  be  alarmed,"  said  that  strong-minded  lady ;  "it 
is  only  one  of  the  old  fool's  composing  draughts.  It  will 
spoil  the  poor  boy's  sleep  for  one  night,  that  is  all.  Go 
to  him  the  first  thing  in  the  morning." 

About  midnight  Alfred  was  seized  with  a  violent  head- 
ache and  fever;  towards  morning  he  was  light-headed, 
and  Brown  found  him  loud  and  incoherent,  only  he 
returned  often  to  an  expression  Mr.  Brown  had  never 
heard  before,  — 

"Justifiable  parricide.  Justifiable  parricide.  Justifi- 
able parricide." 

Most  people  dislike  new  phrases.  Brown  ran  to  consult 
Mrs.  Archbold  about  this  one.  After  the  delay  insepa- 
rable from  her  sex,  she  came  in  a  morning  wrapper ;  and 
they  found  Alfred  leaning  over  the  bed  and  bleeding 
violently  at  the  nose.  They  were  a  good  deal  alarmed, 
and  tried  to  stop  it ;  but  Alfred  was  quite  sensible  now, 
and  told  them  it  was  doing  him  good. 

"  I  can  manage  to  see  now,"  he  said ;  "  a  little  while 
ago  I  was  blind  with  the  poison." 


HARD   CASH.  627 

Thej'  unstrapped  his  ankle  and  made  him  comfortable, 
and  Mrs.  Archbold  sent  Brown  for  a  cup  of  strong  coffee 
and  a  glass  of  brandy.  He  tossed  them  off,  and  soon 
after  fell  into  a  deep  sleep  that  lasted  till  tea-time.  This 
sleep  the  poor  doctor  ascribed  to  the  sedative  effect  of 
his  opiate.  It  tvas  the  natural  exhaustion  consequent 
on  the  morbid  excitement  caused  by  his  cursed  opiate. 

"Brown,"  said  Mrs.  Archbold,  "if  Dr.  Bailey  prescribes 
again,  let  me  know.  He  sha'n't  square  this  patient  with 
his  certificates,  whilst  I  am  here." 

This  was  a  shrewd  but  uncharitable  speech  of  hers. 
Dr.  Bailey  was  not  such  a  villain  as  that. 

He  was  a  less  depraved,  and  more  dangerous  animal ; 
he  was  a  fool. 

The  farrago  he  had  administered  would  have  done  an 
excited  maniac  no  good,  of  course,  but  no  great  harm. 
It  was  dangerous  to  a  sane  man,  and  Alfred  to  the  naked 
eye  was  a  sane  man.  But  then  Bailey  had  no  naked  eye 
left ;  he  had  been  twenty  years  an  M.D.  The  certificates 
of  Wycherley  and  Speers  were  the  green  spectacles  he 
wore  —  very  green  ones  —  whenever  he  looked  at  Alfred 
Hardie. 

Perhaps  in  time  he  will  forget  those  certificates,  and, 
on  his  spectacles  dropping  off,  he  will  see  Alfred  is  sane. 
If  he  does,  he  will  publish  him  as  one  of  his  most  remark- 
able awes. 

]\Ieanwhile  the  whole  treatment  of  this  ill-starred  young 
gentleman  gravitated  towards  insanity.  The  inner  mind 
was  exasperated  by  barefaced  injustice  and  oppression, 
above  all,  by  his  letters  being  stopped ;  for  that  con- 
vinced him  both  Baker  and  Bailey,  with  their  see-saw 
evasions,  knew  he  was  sane,  and  dreaded  a  visit  from 
honest,  understanding  men ;  and  the  mind's  external 
organ,  the  brain,  which  an  asylum  professes  to  soothe, 
was  steadily  undermined  by  artificial  sleeplessness.     A 


528  HARD  CASH. 

man  can't  sleep  in  irons  till  he  is  used  to  them ;  and, 
when  Alfred  was  relieved  of  these,  his  sleep  was  still 
driven  away  by  biting  insects  and  barking  dogs,  —  two 
opiates  provided  in  many  of  these  placid  retreats,  with  a 
view  to  the  permanence,  rather  than  the  comfort,  of  the 
lodgers. 

On  the  eighth  day  Alfred  succeeded  at  last  in  au 
object  he  had  steadily  pursued  for  some  time.  He  caught 
the  two  see-saw  humbugs  together. 

"Now,"  said  he,  ^^you  say  he  intercepts  my  letters, 
and  he  says  it  is  you  who  do  it.     Which  is  the  truth  ?  " 

They  were  staggered,  and  he  followed  up  his  advan- 
tage. "Look  me  in  the  face,  gentlemen,"  said  he.  "Can 
you  pretend  you  do  not  know  I  am  sane  ?  Ah !  you  turn 
your  heads  away.  You  can  only  tell  this  barefaced  lie 
behind  my  back.  Do  you  believe  in  God,  and  in  a  judg- 
ment to  come  ?  Then  if  you  cannot  release  me,  at  least 
don't  be  such  scoundrels  as  to  stop  my  letters,  and  so 
swindle  me  out  of  a  fair  trial,  an  open,  public  trial." 

The  doctor  parried  with  a  formula.  "  Publicity  would 
be  the  greatest  misfortune  could  befall  you.  Pray  be 
calm." 

Now,  an  asylum  is  a  place  not  entirely  exempt  from 
prejudices ;  and  one  of  them  is  that  any  sort  of  appeal 
to  God  Almighty  is  a  sign  or  else  forerunner  of  maniacal 
excitement. 

These  philosophers  forget  that  by  stopping  letters, 
evading  public  trials,  and,  in  a  word,  cutting  off  all 
appeals  to  human  justice,  they  compel  the  patient  to 
turn  his  despairing  eyes  and  lift  his  despairing  voice 
to  Him  whose  eye  alone  can  ever  really  penetrate  these 
dark  abodes. 

However,  the  patient  who  appealed  to  God  above  a 
whisper  in  Silverton  Grove  House  used  to  get  soothed 
directly;  and  the  tranquillizing  influences  employed  were 
morphia,  croton-oil,  or  a  blister. 


HARD   CASH.  529 

The  keeper  came  to  Alfred  in  his  room.  "Doctor  has 
ordered  a  blister." 

"  What  for  ?     Send  for  him  directly." 

"He  is  gone." 

This  way  of  ordering  torture,  and  then  coolly  going, 
irritated  Alfred  beyond  endurance.  Though  he  knew  he 
should  soon  be  powerless,  he  showed  fight,  made  his  mark 
as  usual  on  a  couple  of  his  zealous  attendants ;  but  not 
having  room  to  work  in  was  soon  overpowered,  hobbled, 
and  handcuffed ;  then  they  cut  off  his  hair,  aud  put  a 
large  blister  on  the  top  of  his  head. 

The  obstinate  brute  declined  to  go  mad.  They  began 
to  respect  him  for  this  tenacity  of  purpose ;  a  decent  bed- 
room w'as  allotted  him ;  his  portmanteau  and  bag  were 
brought  him,  and  he  w^as  let  walk  every  day  on  the  lawn 
with  a  keeper,  only  there  were  no  ladders  left  about,  and 
the  trap-door  was  locked ;  i.e.,  the  iron  gate. 

On  one  of  these  occasions  he  heard  the  gatekeeper 
whistle  three  times  consecutively.  His  attendant  fol- 
lowed suit,  and  hurried  Alfred  into  the  house,  which  soon 
rang  with  treble  signals. 

"  What  is  it  ?  "  inquired  Alfred. 

"The  visiting  justices  are  in  sight.  Go  into  your 
room,  please." 

"Yes,  I'll  go,"  said  Alfred,  affecting  cheerful  compli- 
ance, and  the  man  ran  off. 

The  whole  house  was  in  a  furious  bustle.  All  the 
hobbles  and  chains  and  instruments  of  restraint  were 
hastily  collected  and  bundled  out  of  sight,  and  clean 
sheets  were  being  put  on  many  a  filthy  bed  whose  occu- 
pant had  never  slept  in  sheets  since  he  came  there,  when 
two  justices  arrived  and  were  shown  into  the  drawing- 
room. 

During  the  few  minutes  they  were  detained  there  by 
Mrs.  Archbold,  who  was  mistress  of  her  whole  business, 
84 


^30  HARD  CASH. 

quite  a  new  face  was  put  on  everything  and  everybody ; 
ancient  cobwebs  fell ;  soap  and  water  explored  unwonted 
territories ;  the  harshest  attendants  began  practising 
pleasant  looks  and  kind  words  on  the  patients,  to  get 
into  the  way  of  it,  so  that  it  might  not  come  too  abrupt 
and  startle  the  patients  visibl}^  under  the  visitors'  eyes: 
something  like  actors  working  up  a  factitious  sentiment 
at  the  wing  for  the  public  display,  or  like  a  race-horse's 
preliminary  canter.  Alfred's  heart  beat  with  joy  inex- 
pressible. He  had  only  to  keep  calm,  and  this  was  his 
last  day  at  Silverton  Grove.  The  first  thing  he  did  was 
to  make  a  careful  toilet. 

The  stinginess  of  relations  and  the  greed  of  madhouse 
proprietors  make  many  a  patient  look  ten  times  madder 
than  he  is,  by  means  of  dress.  Clothes  wear  out  in  an 
asylum,  and  are-not  always  taken  off  though  agriculture 
has  long  and  justly  claimed  them  for  her  own.  And 
when  it  is  no  longer  possible  to  refuse  the  Rev.  Mad  Tom 
or  Mrs.  Crazy  Jane  some  new  raiment,  then  consanguin- 
eous munificence  does  not  go  to  Poole  or  Elise,  but  oftener 
to  paternal  or  maternal  wardrobes,  and  even  to  the  ances- 
tral chest,  the  old  oak  one,  singing,  — 

"Poor  things,  they  are  out  of  the  world,  what  need  for 
them  to  be  in  the  fashion !"     (Formula.) 

This  arrangement  keeps  the  bump  of  self-esteem  down, 
especially  in  women,  and  so  co-operates  with  many  other 
little  arrangements  to  perpetuate  the  lodger. 

Silverton  Grove  in  particular  was  supplied  with  the 
grotesque  in  dress  from  an  inexhaustible  source.  When- 
ever money  was  sent  Baker  to  buy  a  patient  a  suit,  he 
went  from  his  lunacy  shop  to  his  pawnbroker's,  dived 
headlong  into  unredeemed  pledges,  dressed  his  patient 
as  gentlemen  are  dressed  to  reside  in  cherry-trees,  and 
pocketed  five  hundred  ])er  cent  on  the  double  transaction. 
Now  Alfred  had  already  observed  that  many  of  the  patients 


HARD   CASH.  531 

looked  madder  than  they  were ;  thanks  to  short  trousers 
and  petticoats,  holey  gloveSjSar-cutting  shirt-collars,  frilled 
bosoms,  shoes  made  for  and  declined  by  the  very  infantry, 
coats  short  in  the  waist  and  long  in  the  sleeves,  coalscuttle 
bonnets,  and  grand-maternal  caps.  So  he  made  his  toilet 
with  care,  and  put  his  best  hat  on  to  hide  his  shaven 
crown.  He  then  kept  his  door  ajar,  and  waited  for  a 
chance  of  speaking  to  the  justices.  One  soon  came ;  a 
portly  old  gentleman,  with  a  rubicund  face  and  honest 
eye,  walked  slowly  along  the  corridor,  looking  as  wise  as 
he  could,  cringed  on  by  Cooper  and  Dr.  Bailey ;  the  latter 
had  arrived  post-haste,  and  Baker  had  been  sent  for. 
Alfred  came  out,  touched  his  hat  respectfully,  and  begged 
a  private  interview  with  the  magistrate.  The  old  gentle- 
man bowed  politely,  for  Alfred's  dress,  address,  and  coun- 
tenance left  no  suspicion  of  insanity  possible  in  an 
unprejudiced  mind. 

But  the  doctor  whispered  in  his  ear,  "Take  care,  sir. 
Dangerous ! " 

Xow,  this  is  one  of  the  most  effective  of  the  formula 
in  a  private  asylum.  How  can  an  inexperienced  stranger 
know  for  certain  that  such  a  statement  is  a  falsehood  ? 
and  even  the  just  do  not  love  justice  —  to  others  —  quite 
so  well  as  they  love  their  own  skins.  So  Squire  Tollett 
very  naturally  declined  a  private  interview  with  Alfred ; 
and  even  drew  back  a  step,  and  felt  uneasy  at  being  so 
near  him.  Alfred  implored  him  not  to  be  imposed  upon. 
"An  honest  man  does  not  whisper,"  said  he.  "Do  not 
let  him  poison  your  mind  against  me;  on  my  honor  I  am 
as  sane  as  you  are,  and  he  knows  it.  Pray,  pray  use  your 
own  eyes  and  ears,  sir,  and  give  yourself  a  chance  of  dis- 
covering the  truth  in  this  stronghold  of  lies." 

"Don't  excite  yourself,  ]Mr.  Hardie,"  put  in  the  doctor, 
parentally.     (Formula.) 

"■  Don't  you  interrupt  me,  doctor ;  I  am  as  calm  as  you 


532  HAED   CASH. 

are.  Calmer;  for,  see,  you  are  pale  at  this  moment;  that 
is  with  fear  that  your  wickedness  in  detaining  a  sane  man 
here  is  going  to  be  exposed.  Oh,  sir,"  said  he,  turning 
to  the  justice,  "  fear  do  violence  from  me,  not  even  angry 
words ;  my  misery  is  too  deep  for  irritation  or  excitement. 
I  am  an  Oxford  man,  sir,  a  prize  man,  an  Ireland  scholar. 
But,  unfortunately  for  me,  my  mother  left  me  ten  thou- 
sand pounds,  and  a  heart.  I  love  a  lady  whose  name  I 
will  not  pollute  by  mentioning  it  in  this  den  of  thieves. 
]My  father  is  the  well-known  banker,  bankrupt,  and  cheat, 
of  Barkington.  He  has  wasted  his  own  money,  and  now 
covets  his  neighbor's  and  his  son's.  He  had  me  entrapped 
here  on  my  wedding-day,  to  get  hold  of  my  money,  arnd 
rob  me  of  her  I  love.  I  appeal  to  you,  sir,  to  discharge 
me ;  or,  if  you  have  not  so  much  confidence  in  your  own 
judgment  as  to  do  that,  then  I  demand  a  commission  of 
lunacy,  and  a  public  inquiry." 

Dr.  Bailey  said,  "  That  would  be  a  most  undesirable 
exposure,  both  to  yourself  and  your  friends."     (Formula.) 

"  It  is  only  the  guilty  who  fear  the  light,  sir,"  was 
the  prompt  reply. 

]Mr.  Tollett  said  he  thought  the  patient  had  a  legal 
right  to  a  commission  of  lunacy  if  there  was  property, 
and  he  took  note  of  the  application.  He  then  asked 
Alfred  if  he  had  any  complaint  to  make  of  the  food,  the 
beds,  or  the  attendants. 

'•  Sir,"  said  Alfred,  "  I  leave  those  complaints  to  the 
insane  ones :  with  me  the  gigantic  wrong  drives  out  the 
petty  worries.  I  cannot  feel  my  stings  for  my  deep 
wound." 

"  Oh,  then,  you  admit  you  are  not  treated  tinkindhj 
here  ?  " 

"I  admit  nothing  of  the  kind,  sir.  I  merely  decline 
to  encumber  your  memory  with  jietty  injuries,  when  you 
are  good  enough  to  inquire  into  a  monstrous  one." 


HARD  CASH.  533 

"Now  that  is  very  sensible  and  considerate,"  said  Mr. 
Tollett.     "  I  will  see  you,  sir,  before  we  leave." 

With  this  promise  Alfred  was  obliged  to  be  content. 
He  retired  respectfully,  and  the  justice  said,  "  He  seems 
as  sane  as  I  am."  The  doctor  smiled.  The  justice 
observed  it,  and,  not  aware  that  this  smile  was  a  formula, 
as  much  so  as  a  prize-fighter's  or  a  ballet-dancer's,  began 
to  doubt  a  little  :  he  reflected  a  moment,  then  asked  who 
had  signed  the  certihcates. 

"  Dr.  Wycherley  for  one." 

"  Dr.  Wycherley  ?  that  is  a  great  authority." 

"One  of  the  greatest  in  the  country,  sir." 

"  Oh,  then  one  would  think  he  must  be  more  or  less 
deranged." 

"  Dangerously  so  at  times.  But  in  his  lucid  intervals 
you  never  saAv  a  more  quiet,  gentlemanly  creature." 
(Formula.) 

"  How  sad ! " 

"  Ver}'.  He  is  my  most  interesting  patient  (formula), 
though  terribly  violent  at  times.  AVould  you  like  to  see 
the  medical  journal  about  him  ?  " 

''  Yes  ;  by  and  by." 

The  inspection  then  continued  5  the  inspector  admired 
the  clean  sheets  that  covered  the  beds,  all  of  them  dirty, 
some  filthy  :  and  asked  the  more  reasonable  patients  to 
speak  freely  and  say  if  they  had  any  complaint  to  make. 
This  question  being  with  the  usual  sagacity  of  public 
inspectors  put  in  the  presence  of  Cooper  and  the  doctor, 
who  stuck  to  Tollett  like  wax,  the  mad  people  all  declared 
they  were  very  kindly  treated :  the  reason  they  were  so 
unanimous  was  this :  they  knew  by  experience  that,  if 
they  told  the  truth,  the  justices  could  not  at  once  remedy 
their  discomforts,  whereas  the  keepers,  the  very  moment 
the  justices  left  the  house,  would  knock  them  down,  beat 
them,  shake  them,  strait-jacket  them,  and  starve  them ; 


534  HARD   CASH. 

and  the  doctor,  less  merciful,  would  doctor  them.  So 
they  shook  in  their  shoes,  and  vowed  they  were  very 
comfortable  in  Silverton  Grove. 

Thus,  in  later  days,  certain  commissioners  of  lunacy 
inspecting  Accomb  House,  extracted  nothing  from  Mrs. 
Turner,  but  that  she  was  happy  and  comfortable  under 
the  benignant  sway  of  Metcalf  the  mild  —  there  present. 
It  was  only  by  a  miracle  the  public  learned  the  truth : 
and  miracles  are  rare. 

Meantime,  Alfred  had  a  misgiving.  The  plausible 
doctor  had  now  Squire  Tollett's  ear,  and  Tollett  was  old, 
and  something  about  him  reminded  the  Oxonian  of  a 
trait  his  friend  Horace  had  detected  in  old  age : 

Vel  qubd  res  onines  timide  gelide  que  niinistrat. 
Dilator,  spe  longus,  iners,  etc. 

He  knew  there  was  another  justice  in  the  house,  but  he 
knew  also  he  should  not  be  allowed  to  get  speech  with 
him,  if  by  cunning  or  force  it  could  be  prevented.  He 
kept  his  door  ajar.  Presently  Nurse  Hannah  came 
bustling  along  with  an  apronful  of  things,  and  let  herself 
into  a  vacant  room  hard  by.  This  Hannah  was  a  young 
woman  with  a  pretty  and  rather  babyish  face,  diversified 
by  a  thick  biceps  muscle  in  her  arm  that  a  blacksmith 
need  not  have  blushed  for.  And  I  suspect  it  was  this 
masculine  charm,  and  not  her  feminine  features,  that  had 
won  her  the  confidence  of  Baker  and  Co.,  and  the  respect 
of  his  female  patients  :  big  or  little,  excited  or  not  excited, 
there  was  not  one  of  them  this  bicipital  baby-face  could 
not  pin  by  the  wrists,  and  twist  her  helpless  into  a 
strong-room,  or  handcuff  her  unaided  in  a  moment ;  and 
she  did  it  too  on  slight  provocation.  Nurse  Hannah 
seldom  came  into  Alfred's  part  of  the  house ;  but  when 
she  did  meet  him,  she  generally  gave  him  a  kind  look  in 
passing;  and  he  had  resolved  to  speak  to  her,  and  try  if 


HARD   CASH.  535 

He  could  touch  her  couscience,  or  move  her  pity.  He 
saw  what  she  was  at,  but  was  too  politic  to  detect  her 
openly  and  irritate  her.  He  drew  back  a  step,  and  said 
softly,  "  Nurse  Hanna.h  !     Are  you  there  ?  " 

"Yes,  I  am  here,"  said  she,  sharply,  and  came  out  of 
the  room  hastily,  and  shut  it.  "  What  do  you  want, 
sir  ?  •' 

Alfred  clasped  his  hands  together.  "  If  you  are  a 
woman,  have  pity  on  me." 

She  was  taken  by  surprise.  "  What  can  I  do  ?  "  said 
she  in  some  agitation.     "  I  am  only  a  servant." 

'•'At  least  tell  me  where  I  can  find  the  visiting  jus- 
tice, before  the  keepers  stop  me." 

"  Hush  !  Speak  lower,"  said  Hannah.  "  You  liave 
complained  to  one,  haven't  you  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  but  he  seems  a  feeble  old  fogy.  Where  is  the 
other?     Oh,  pray  tell  me  ! " 

"  I  mustn't ;  I  mustn't.  In  the  noisy  ward.  There, 
run." 

And  run  he  did. 

Alfred  was  lucky  enough  to  get  safe  into  the  noisy 
ward  without  being  intercepted.  And  then  he  encount- 
ered a  sunburned  gentleman,  under  thirty,  in  a  riding- 
coat,  with  a  hunting-whip  in  his  hand.  It  was  Mr.  Vane, 
a  Tory  squire  and  large  landholder  in  the  county. 

Now,  as  Alfred  entered  at  one  door.  Baker  himself 
came  in  at  the  other,  and  they  nearly  met  at  Vane.  But 
Alfred  saluted  him  first,  and  begged  respectfully  for  an 
interview. 

"  Certainly,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Vane. 

"  Take  care,  sir ;  he  is  dangerous,"  whispered  Baker. 
Instantly  Mr.  Vane's  countenance  changed.  Bvit  this 
time  Alfred  overheard  the  formula,  and  said  quietly, 
"Don't  believe  him,  sir.  I  am  not  dangerous;  I  am  as 
sane  as  any  man  in  England.  Pray  examine  me,  and 
judge  for  yourself." 


536  HARD   CASH. 

"Ah,  that  is  his  delusion,"  said  Baker.  "Come,  Mr. 
Hardie,  I  allow  you  great  liberties,  but  you  abuse  them. 
You  really  must  not  monopolize  his  worship  with  your 
fancies.  Consider,  sir,  you  are  not  the  only  patient  he 
has  to  examine." 

Alfred's  heart  sank  ;  he  turned  a  look  of  silent  agony 
on  Mr.  Vane. 

Mr.  Vane,  either  touched  by  that  look,  or  irritated  by 
Baker's  pragmatical  interference,  or  perhaps  both,  looked 
that  person  coolly  in  the  face,  and  said  sternly,  "Be 
silent,  sir,  and  let  the  gentleman  speak  to  me." 


HARD  CASH.  537 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

Alfred,  thus  encouraged,  told  his  story  with  forced 
calmness,  and  without  a  word  too  much.  Indeed,  so 
clear  and  telling  was  the  narrative,  and  the  logic  so 
close,  that  incoherent  patients  one  or  two  stole  up  and 
listened  with  wonder  and  a  certain  dreamy  complacency; 
the  bulk,  however,  held  aloof  apathetic,  inextricably 
wrapped  in  fictitious  autobiography. 

His  story  told,  Alfred  offered  the  Dodds  in  evidence 
that  the  fourteen  thousand  pounds  was  no  illusion,  and 
referred  to  his  sister  and  sev^eral  friends  as  witnesses  to 
his  sanity,  and  said  the  letters  he  wrote  were  all  stopped 
in  the  asylum ;  and  why  ?  That  no  honest  man  or 
woman  might  know  where  he  was. 

He  ended  by  convincing  Mr.  Vane  he  was  a  sane  and 
injured  man,  and  his  father  a  dark,  designing  person. 

Mr.  Vane  asked  him  whether  he  had  any  other  revela- 
tions to  make.  Alfred  replied,  "  Not  on  my  own  account, 
but  for  the  sake  of  those  afflicted  persons  who  are  here 
for  life.  Well,  the  beds  want  repaving ;  the  vermin 
thinning ;  the  instruments  of  torture  want  abolishing, 
instead 'of  hiding  for  an  hour  or  two  when  you  happen 
to  come  :  what  do  the  patients  gain  by  that  ?  The  mad- 
men dare  not  complain  to  you,  sir  ;  because  the  last  time 
one  did  complain  to  the  justices  (it  was  Mr.  Petworth), 
they  had  no  sooner  passed  through  the  iron  gate,  than 
Cooper  made  an  example  of  him  :  felled  him  with  his 
fist,  and  walked  up  and  down  him  on  his  knees,  crying, 
'I'll  teach  you  to  complain  to  the  justices.'  But  one  or 
two  gentlemanly  madmen,  who  soon  found  out  that  I  am 


538  HARD  CASH. 

not  one  of  them,  have  complained  to  me  that  the  attend- 
ants v/ash  them  too  much  like  hansom  cal)S,  strip  them 
naked,  and  mop  them  on  the  flag-stones,  then  fling  on 
their  clothes  without  drying  them.  They  say,  too,  that 
the  meat  is  tough  and  often  putrid,  the  bread  stale,  the 
butter  rancid,  the  vegetables  stinted  since  they  can't  be 
adulterated  ;  and  as  for  sleep,  it  is  hardly  known,  for 
the  beds  are  so  short  your  feet  stick  out;  insects,  with- 
out a  name  to  ears  polite,  but  highly  odoriferous  and  pro- 
foundly carnivorous,  bite  you  all  night,  and  dogs  howl 
eternally  outside ;  and,  when  exhausted  nature  defies 
even  these  enemies  of  rest,  then  the  doctor,  who  seems 
to  be  in  the  pay  of  insanit}',  claps  you  on  a  blister  by 
brute  force,  and  so  drives  away  sleep,  insanity's  cure, 
or  hocusses  you  by  brute  force  as  he  did  me,  and  so  steals 
your  sleep,  and  tries  to  steal  your  reason,  with  his  opium, 
henbane,  morphia,  and  other  tremendous  brain-stealers. 
With  such  a  potion,  sir,  administered  by  violence,  he 
gave  me  in  one  night  a  burning  fever,  headache,  loss  of 
sight,  and  bleeding  at  the  nose,  as  Mrs.  Archbold  will 
tell  you.  Oh,  look  into  these  things,  sir,  in  pity  to  those 
whom  Heaven  has  afflicted  !  To  me  they  are  but  strokes 
with  a  feather;  I  am  a  sane  man  torn  from  love  and 
happiness,  and  confined  among  the  mad;  discomfort  is 
nothing  to  me,  comfort  is  nothing ;  you  can  do  nothing 
for  me  but  restore  me  to  my  dignity  as  a  man,  my  lib- 
erty as  a  Briton,  and  the  rights  as  a  citizen  I  have  been 
swindled  out  of  by  a  fraudulent  bankrupt  and  his  tools, 
two  venal  doctors,  Avho  never  saw  me  but  for  one  five 
minutes,  but  came  to  me  ready  bribed  at  a  guinea  apiece, 
and  so  signed  away  my  wits  behind  my  back." 

'•  Now,  Mr.  Baker,"  said  Vane,  "  what  do  you  say  to 
all  this  ?  " 

Baker  smiled  with  admirable  composure,  and  replied 
with  crafty  moderation,  "  He  is  a  gentleman,  and  believes 


HARD   CASH.  530 

every  word  he  says ;  but  it  is  all  his  delusions.  Why, 
to  begin,  sir,  his  father  has  nothing  to  do  with  putting 
hira  in  here ;  nothing  on  earth.  (Alfred  started,  then 
smiled  incredulous.)  And,  in  the  next  place,  there  are 
no  instruments  of  restraint  here,  but  two  pair  of  hand- 
cuffs and  two  strait-jackets,  and  these  never  hardly  used; 
we  trust  to  the  padded  rooms,  you  know.  And,  sir," 
said  he,  getting  warm,  which  instantly  affected  his  pro- 
nunciation, "if  there's  a  hinsect  in  the  ouse,  I'll  heat 
im." 

Delusion  is  a  big  word,  especially  in  a  madhouse  :  it 
overpowers  a  visitor's  understanding.  Mr.  Vane  was 
staggered.  Alfred,  whose  eager  e3'es  Avere  never  off  his 
face,  saw  this  with  dismay,  and  feeling  that,  if  he  failed 
in  the  simpler  matter,  he  should  be  sure  to  fail  in  estab- 
lishing his  sanity,  he  said  with  inward  anxiety,  though 
with  outward  calmness,  ''  Suppose  we  test  these  delu- 
sions ?  " 

"With  all  my  heart,"  said  Vane, 

Baker's  countenance  fell. 

"Begin  with  the  instruments  of  restraint.  Find  me 
them." 

Baker's  countenance  brightened  up ;  he  had  no  fear 
of  their  being  found. 

"  I  will,"  said  Alfred  ;  "please  to  follow  me." 

Baker  grinned  with  anticipated  triumph. 

Alfred  led  the  way  to  a  bedroom  near  his  own,  and 
asted  ]\rr.  Baker  to  unlock  it.  Baker  had  not  the  ke}- ; 
no  more  had  Cooper.  The  latter  was  sent  for  it;  he 
returned,  saying  the  key  was  mislaid. 

"That  I  expected,"  said  Alfred.  "Send  for  the 
kitchen  poker,  sir :  I'll  soon  unlock  it." 

"Fetch  the  kitchen  poker,"  said  Vane. 

"  Good  gracious,  sir  !  "  said  Cooper  ;  "  he  only  wants 
that  to  knock  all  our  brains  out.  You  have  no  idea  of 
his  strength  and  ferocity." 


640  HARD  CASH. 

"Well  lied,  Cooper,"  said  Alfred,  ironically. 

"  Fetch  me  the  poker,"  said  Vaue. 

Cooper  went  for  it,  and  came  back  with  the  key 
instead. 

The  door  Avas  opened,  and  they  all  entered.  Alfred 
looked  under  the  bed.     The  rest  stood  round  it. 

There  was  nothing  to  be  seen  but  a  year's  dust. 

Alfred  was  dumfoundered,  and  a  cold  perspiration 
began  to  gather  on  his  brow.  He  saw  at  once  a  false 
move  would  be  fatal  to  him. 

"  Well,  sir,"  said  Vane,  grimly,  "  where  are  they  ?  " 

Alfred  caught  sight  of  a  small  cupboard ;  he  searched 
it :  it  was  empty.  Baker  and  Cooper  grinned  at  his  de- 
lusion quietly,  but  so  that  Vane  might  see  that  formula. 
Alfred  returned  to  the  bed  and  shook  it.  Cooper  and 
Baker  left  off  grinning ;  Alfred's  uick  eye  caught  this, 
and  he  shook  the  bed  violently,  furiously. 

"  Ah  ! "  said  Mr.  Vane,  "  I  hear  a  chink." 

"  It  is  an  iron  bedstead,  and  old,"  suggested  Baker. 

Alfred  tore  off  the  bedclothes,  and  then  the  i  lattress. 
Below  the  latter  was  a  framework,  and  below  he  frame- 
work a  receptacle  about  six  inches  deep,  five  feet  long, 
and  three  broad,  filled,  with  chains,  iron  bel.s,  wrist- 
locks,  muffles,  and  screw-locked  hobbles,  etc.,  —  a  regular 
Inquisition. 

If  Baker  had  descended  from  the  Kemble  family, 
instead  of  rising  from  nothing,  he  could  not  have  acted 
better.  "  Good  heavens  ! "  cried  he,  "  where  do  these 
come  from  ?  They  must  have  been  left  here  by  the  last 
proprietor." 

Vane  replied  only  by  a  look  of  contempt,  and  ordered 
Cooper  to  go  and  ask  Mr.  Tollett  to  come  to  him. 

Alfred  improved  the  interval.  "Sir,"  said  he,  "all 
my  delusions,  fairly  tested,  will  turn  out  like  this." 

"  They  shall  be  tested,  sir  j  I  give  you  my  word." 


HARD   CASH.  541 

IMr.  Tollett  came,  and  the  two  justices  commenced  a 
genuine  scrutiny,  their  first.  They  went  now  upon  the 
true  method  in  which  all  these  dark  places  ought  to  be 
inspected.  They  did  not  believe  a  word  ;  they  suspected 
everything;  they  examined  patients  apart,  detected 
cruelty,  filth,  and  vermin  under  philanthropic  phrases 
and  clean  linen  ;  and  the  upshot  was,  they  reprimanded 
Baker  and  the  attendants  severely,  and  told  him  his 
license  should  never  be  renewed,  unless  at  their  next 
visit  the  whole  asylum  was  reformed.  They  orde  ed  all 
the  iron  body-belts,  chains,  leg-locks,  wrist-locks,  and 
muffs,  to  be  put  into  IMr.  Tollett's  carriage,  and  con- 
cluded a  long  inspection  by  inquiring  into  Alfred's 
sanity.  At  this  inquiry  they  did  not  allow  Baker  to  be 
even  present,  but  only  Dr.  Bailey. 

First  they  read  the  order,  and  found  it  really  was  not 
Alfred's  father  who  had  put  him  inlo  the  asylum.  Then 
th'";'  read  the  certificates,  especially  Wycherley's.  It 
accuGcd  Alfred  cf  headache,  insomnia,  nightly  visions, 
a  rooted  delusion  (pecuniary),  a  sudden  version  to  an 
affectionate  father ;  and  at  the  doctor's  last  visit,  a  wild 
look  (formula),  great  excitement,  and  threats  of  violence 
without  any  provocation  to  justify  hem.  This  over- 
powered the  wor'-hy  squires'  understandings,  to  begin. 
But  they  proceeued  to  examine  th.  three  books  an 
asylum  has  to  keep  by  law :  the  visitors'  book,  the  case 
book,  and  the  medical  journal.  All  these  were  kept 
with  the  utmost  looseness  in  Silverton  House,  as  indeed 
they  are  in  the  very  best  of  these  places.  However,  by 
combining  the  scanty  notices  in  the  several  books,  they 
arrived  at  this  total :  — 

"  Admitted  April  11.  Had  a  very  wild  look,  and  was 
much  excited.  Attempted  suicide  by  throwing  himself 
into  a  tank.  Attacked  the  keepers,  for  rescuing  him, 
with  prodigious  strength  and  violence.     Refused  food," 


542  HARD  CASH. 

Aud  some  days  after  came  an  entry  with  bis  initiala 
instead  of  his  name,  which  was  contrary  to  law.  "  A.  H. 
Much  excited.     Threats.     Ordered  a  composing  draught.'' 

And  a  day  or  two  after:  *' A.  H.  Excited.  Blas^jhe- 
mous.     Ordered  blister." 

Tlie  fii'st  entry,  however,  was  enough.  The  doctor 
had  but  seen  real  facts  through  his  green  spectacles,  and 
lo  !  "  suicide,"  "  homicide,"  and  "  refusal  of  food,"  three 
cardinal  points  of  true  mania. 

Mr.  Vane  asked  Dr.  Bailey  whether  he  was  better  since 
he  came. 

"Oh,  infinitely  better,"  said  Dr.  Bailey.  ""\Ye  hope 
to  cure  him  in  a  month  or  two." 

They  then  sent  for  Mrs.  Archbold,  aud  had  a  long  talk 
with  her,  recommending  Alfred  to  her  especial  care  ;  and, 
having  acted  on  his  judgment  and  infoinnation  in  the 
teeth  of  those  who  called  him  insane,  turned  tail  at 
a  doctor's  certificate,  distrusted  their  eyesight  at  an 
unsworn  affidavit. 

Alfred  was  packing  up  his  things  to  go  awa}',  bright 
as  a  lark.  Mrs.  Archbold  came  to  him,  and  told  him  she 
had  orders  to  give  him  every  comfort,  and  the  justices 
hoped  to  liberate  him  at  their  next  visit. 

The  poor  wretch  turned  pale.  "At  their  next  visit !  " 
he  cried.  "What,  not  to-day?  AVhen  is  their  next 
visit?" 

Mrs.  Archbold  hesitated,  but  at  last  she  said,  ""Why, 
you  know ;  I  told  you.  They  come  four  times  every 
year." 

The  disappointment  was  too  bitter.  The  contempti- 
ble result  of  all  his  patience,  self-command,  and  success, 
was  too  heart-breaking.  He  groaned  aloud.  "  And  you 
can  come  with  a  smile  and  tell  me  that;  you  cruel 
woman."  Then  he  broke  down  altogether  and  Inirst  out 
crying.     "  You  were  born  without  a  heart,"  he  sobbed. 


HARD   CASH.  543 

Mrs.  Archbold  qiiiverecl  at  that.  "  I  wish  I  had  been," 
said  she,  in  a  strange,  soft,  moving  voice ;  then  casting 
an  eloquent  look  of  reproach  on  him,  she  Avent  away  in 
visible  agitation,  and  left  him  sobbing.  Once  out  of  his 
sight  she  rushed  into  another  room,  and  there,  taking  no 
more  notice  of  a  gentle  madwoman  its  occupant  than  of 
the  bed  or  the  table,  she  sank  into  a  chair,  and,  throwing 
her  head  back  with  womanly  abandon,  laid  her  hand 
upon  her  bosom  that  heaved  tempestuously. 

And  soon  the  tears  trickled  out  of  her  imperious  eyes, 
and  ran  unrestrained. 

The  mind  of  Edith  Archbold  corresponded  with  her 
powerful  frame,  and  bushy  brows.  Inside  this  woman 
all  was  vigor;  strong  passions,  strong  good-sense  to 
check  or  hide  them ;  strong  will  to  carry  them  out. 
And  between  these  mental  forces  a  powerful  struggle 
was  raging.  She  was  almost  impenetrable  to  mere  per- 
sonal beauty,  and  inclined  to  despise  early  youth  in 
the  other  sex;  and  six  months  spen*  with  Alfred  in  a 
quiet  country  house  would  probably  have  left  her  reason- 
ably indifferent  to  him.  But  the  first  day  she  saw  him 
in  Silverton  House,  he  brol'e  through  her  guard,  and 
pierced  at  once  to  her  depths ;  first  he  terrified  her  by 
darting  through  the  window  to  escape :  and  terror  is  a 
passion.  So  is  pity ;  and  never  in  her  life  had  she 
overflowed  Avith  it  as  when  she  saw  him  drawn  out  of 
the  tank  an  1  laid  on  the  grass.  If,  after  all,  he  was  as 
sane  as  he  looked,  that  brave,  high-spirited  young  creature, 
who  preferred  death  to  the  touch  of  coarse  confining 
hands ! 

Kg  sooner  had  he  filled  her  with  dismay  and  pity,  than 
he  bounded  from  the  ground  before  her  eyes  and  fled : 
she  screamed,  and  hoped  he  would  escape  ;  she  could  not 
help  it.  Next  she  saw  liim  fighting  alone  against  seven 
or  eight,  and  with   unheard-of  prowess  almost  beating 


544  HARD   CASH. 

them.  She  sat  at  the  window  panting,  with  clenclied 
teeth  and  hands,  and  wished  him  to  beat,  and  admired 
him,  wondered  at  him.  He  yielded,  but  not  to  them :  to 
her.  All  the  compliments  she  had  ever  received  were 
tame  compared  with  this  one.  It  thrilled  her  vanity. 
He  was  like  the  men  she  had  read  of,  and  never  seen ; 
the  young  knights  of  chivalry.  She  glowed  all  over  at 
him,  and  detecting  herself  in  time  was  frightened.  Her 
strong  good-sense  warned  her  to  beware  of  this  youth, 
who  was  nine  years  her  junior,  yet  had  stirred  her  to  all 
her  depths  in  an  hour  ;  and  not  to  see  him  nor  think  of 
him  too  much.  Accordingly  she  kept  clear  of  him 
altogether  at  first.  Pity  soon  put  an  end  to  that ;  and 
she  protected  and  advised  him,  but  with  a  cold  and  lofty 
demeanor  put  on  express.  What  with  her  kind  acts  and 
her  cold  manner  he  did  not  know  what  to  make  of  her ; 
and  often  turned  puzzled  earnest  eyes  upon  her,  as  much 
as  to  say,  Are  you  really  my  friend  or  not  ?  Once  she 
forgot  herself  and  smiled  so  tenderly  in  answer  to  these 
imploring  eyes,  that  his  hopes  rose  very  high  indeed. 
He  flattered  himself  she  would  let  him  out  of  the 
asylum  before  long.  That  was  all  Julia's  true  lover 
thought  of. 

A  feeling  hidden,  and  not  suppressed,  often  grows  fast 
in  a  vigorous  nature.  Mrs.  Archbold's  fancy  for  Alfred 
was  subjected  to  this  dangerous  treatment;  and  it  smoul- 
dered, and  smouldered,  till  from  a  penchant  it  warmed 
to  a  fancy,  from  a  fancy  to  a  passion.  But  penchant, 
fancy,  or  passion,  she  hid  it  with  such  cunning  and  reso- 
lution, that  neither  Alfred  nor  even  those  of  her  own 
sex  saw  it;  nor  did  a  creature  even  suspect  it,  except 
Nurse  Hannah  ;  but  her  eyes  were  sharpened  by  jealousy, 
for  that  muscular  young  virgin  was  beginning  to  sigh 
for  him  herself,  with  a  gentle  timidity  that  contrasted 
Vrettily  with  her  biceps  muscle  and  prowess  against  her 
own  sex. 


HARD   CASH.  545 

Mrs.  Archbold  had  more  passion  than  tenderness,  but 
■what  woman  is  not  to  be  surprised  and  softened  ?  When 
her  3'oung  favorite,  the  greatest  fighter  she  had  ever 
seen,  broke  down  at  the  end  of  his  gallant  effort  and 
began  to  cry  like  a  girl,  her  bowels  of  compassion  yearned 
within  her,  and  she  longed  to  cry  with  him.  She  only 
saved  herself  from  some  imprudence  by  flight,  and  had 
her  cry  alone.  After  a  flow  of  tears  such  a  woman  is 
invincible ;  she  treated  Alfred  at  tea-time  with  remark- 
able coldness  and  reserve.  This  piece  of  acting  led  to 
unlooked-for  consequences  ;  it  emboldened  Cooper,  who 
was  raging  against  Alfred  for  telling  the  justices,  but 
had  forborne  from  violence,  for  fear  of  getting  the  house 
into  a  fresh  scrape.  He  now  went  to  the  doctor,  and 
asked  for  a  powerful  drastic  ;  Bailey  gave  him  two  pills, 
or  rather  boluses,  containing  croton-oil  —  i7iter  alia  ;  for 
Bailey  was  one  of  the  farraginous  fools  of  the  unscien- 
tific science.  Armed  with  this  weapon  of  destruction, 
Cooper  entered  Alfred's  bedroom  at  night,  and  ordered 
him  to  take  them  :  he  refused.  Cooper  whistled,  and 
four  attendants  came.  Alfred  knew  he  should  soon  be 
powerless ;  he  lost  no  time,  sprang  at  Cooper,  and  with 
his  long  arm  landed  a  blow  that  knocked  him  against 
the  wall,  and  in  this  position,  where  his  body  could  not 
give,  struck  him  again  with  his  whole  soul,  and  cut  his 
cheek  right  open.  The  next  minute  he  was  pinned, 
handcuffed,  and  in  a  strait-jacket,  after  crippling  one 
assailant  with  a  kick  on  the  knee. 

Cooper,  half-stunned,  and  bleeding  like  a  pig,  recov- 
ered himself  now,  and  burned  for  revenge.  He  uttered 
a  frightful  oath,  and  jumped  on  Alfred  as  he  lay  bound 
and  powerless,  and  gave  him  a  lesson  he  never  forgot. 

Every  art  has  its  secrets ;  the  attendants  in  such  mad- 
houses as  this  have  been  for  years  possessed  of  one  they 
are  too  modest  to  reveal  to  justices,  commissioners,  or 


546  HARD   CASH. 

the  public :  the  art  of  breaking  a  man's  ribs,  or  breast 
bone,  or  both,  without  bruising  him  externally.  The 
convicts  at  Toulon  arrive  at  a  similar  result  by  another 
branch  of  the  art:  they  stuff  the  skin  of  a  conger  eel 
with  powdered  stone ;  then  give  the  obnoxious  person  a 
sly  crack  with  it ;  and  a  rib  or  backbone  is  broken  with 
no  contusion  to  mark  the  external  violence  used.  But 
Mr.  Cooper  and  his  fellows  do  their  work  with  the  knee- 
joint:  it  is  round,  and  leaves  no  bruise.  They  subdue 
the  patient  by  walking  up  and  down  him  on  their  knees. 
If  they  don't  jump  on  him,  as  well  as  promenade  him, 
the  man's  spirit  is  often  the  only  thing  broken ;  if  they 
do,  the  man  is  apt  to  be  broken  bodily  as  well  as  mentally. 
Thus  died  Mr.  Sizer  in  ISo-l,  and  two  others  quite 
recently.  And  how  many  more,  God  only  knows ;  we 
can't  count  the  stones  at  the  bottom  of  a  dark  well. 

Cooper  then  sprang  furiously  on  Alfred,  and  went 
kneeling  up  and  down  him.  Cooper  was  a  heavy  man, 
and  his  weight  crushed  and  hurt  the  victim's  legs ;  but 
that  was  a  trifle  ;  as  often  as  he  kneeled  on  Alfred's  chest, 
the  crushed  one's  whole  framework  seemed  giving  way, 
and  he  could  scarcely  breathe.  But  Brown  drew  Cooper 
back  by  the  collar,  saying,  "  D'ye  want  to  kill  him  ?  " 
And  at  this  moment  Mrs.  Archbold,  who  was  on  the 
Avatch,  came  in  with  Hannah  and  another  nurse,  and  the 
three  women  at  a  word  from  their  leader  pinned  Cooper 
simultaneously,  and,  taking  him  at  a  disadvantage,  hand- 
cuffed him  in  a  moment  with  a  strength,  sharpness,  skill, 
and  determination  not  to  be  found  in  women  out  of  a 
madhouse  —  luckily  for  the  newspaper  husbands. 

The  other  keepers  looked  astounded  at  this  master- 
stroke ;  but,  as  no  servant  had  ever  affronted  Mrs.  Arch- 
bold  without  being  dismissed  directly,  they  took  their 
cue  and  said,  "  We  advised  him,  ma'am,  but  he  would  not 
listen  to  us." 


HARD   CASH.  547 

"  Cooper,"  said  Mrs.  Archbold  as  soon  as  she  recovered 
her  breath,  "  you  are  not  fit  for  your  place.  To-morrow 
you  go,  or  I  go." 

Cooper,  cowed  in  a  moment  by  the  handcuffs,  began 
to  whine  and  say  that  it  was  all  Alfred's  fault. 

But  Mrs.  Archbold  was  now  carried  away  by  two  pas- 
sions instead  of  one,  and  they  were  together  too  much  for 
prudence ;  she  took  a  handful  of  glossy  locks  out  of  her 
bosom  and  shook  them  in  Cooper's  face. 

"You  monster  !"  said  she;  "you  should  go,  iov  that, 
if  you  were  my  own  brother." 

The  two  young  nurses  assented  loudly,  and  turned  and 
cackled  at  Cooper  for  cutting  off  such  lovely  hair. 

He  shrugged  his  shoulders  at  them,  and  said,  sulkily, 
to  Mrs.  Archbold,  "  Oh,  I  didn't  know.  Of  course,  if 
you  have  fallen  in  love  with  him,  my  cake  is  burnt. 
'Tisn't  the  first  lunatic  you  have  taken  a  fancy  to." 

At  this  brutal  speech,  all  the  more  intolerable  for  not 
being  quite  false,  Mrs.  Archbold  turned  ashy  pale  and 
looked  round  for  a  weapon  to  strike  him  dead ;  but 
found  none  so  handy  and  so  deadly  as  her  tongue. 

"  It  is  not  the  first  you  have  tried  to  murder,"  said 
she.  "  I  know  all  about  that  death  in  Calton  Retreat : 
3^ou  kept  it  dark  before  the  coroner,  but  it  is  not  too  late, 
I'll  open  the  world's  eyes ;  I  was  only  going  to  dismiss 
you,  sir:  but  you  have  insulted  me.  I'll  hang  you  in 
reply." 

Cooper  turned  very  pale  and  was  silent ;  his  tongue 
clove  to  the  roof  of  his  mouth. 

But  a  feeble,  unexpected  voice  issued  from  the  bed 
and  murmured  cheerfully,  though  with  some  difficulty,  a 
single  word :  — 

"Justice!" 

At  an  expression  so  out  of  place,  they  all  started  with 
surprise. 


548  HARD   CASH. 

Alfred  went  on:  "You  are  putting  the  saddle  on  the 
wrong  horse.  The  fault  lies  with  those  villains  Baker 
and  Bailey.  Cooper  is  only  a  servant,  you  know,  and 
obeys  orders." 

''  What  business  had  the  wretch  to  cut  you'  hair  off  ?  " 
said  Mrs.  Archbold,  turning  on  Alfred  w.  ih  flashing 
eyes.  Her  blood  once  up,  she  was  ready  to  quarrel  even 
with  him  for  taking  part  against  himself. 

"Because  he  was  ordered  to  put  on  a  blister,  and  hair 
must  come  off  before  a  blister  can  go  on,"  replied  Alfred, 
soberly. 

"That  is  no  excuse  for  him  beating  you,  and  trying  to 
break  your  front  teeth." 

She  didn't  mind  so  much  about  his  side  ribs. 

"  No,"  replied  Alfred.  "  But  I  hit  him  first ;  look  at 
the  bloke's  face.  Dear  Mrs.  Archbold,  you  are  my  best 
friend  in  this  horrid  place,  and  you  have  beautiful  eyes, 
and  talk  of  teeth,  look  at  yours  !  but  you  haven't  much 
sense  of  justice  :  forgive  me  for  saying  so.  Put  the 
proposition  into  signs ;  there  is  nothing  like  that  for 
clearing  away  prejudice.  B  and  C  have  a  scrimmage: 
B  begins  it,  C  gets  the  worst  of  it ;  in  comes  A  and 
turns  away  —  C.  Is  that  justice  ?  It  is  me  you  ought 
to  turn  away;  and  I  Avish  to  Heaven  you  would:  dear 
Mrs.  Archbold,  do  pray  turn  me  away,  and  keep  the 
other  blackguard." 

At  this  extraordinary  and,  if  I  may  be  allowed  the 
expression,  Alfredian  speech,  the  men  first  stared,  and 
then  laughed;  the  women  smiled,  and  then  were  nearer 
crying  than  laughing. 

And  so  it  was,  that  justice  handcuffed,  strait-jacketed, 
blistered,  and  impartial,  sent  from  its  bed  of  torture  a 
beam  through  Cooper's  tough  hide  to  his  inner  heart. 
He  hung  his  head  and  stepped  towards  Alfred :  "  You're 
what  I  call  a  man,"  he  said.     "  I  don't  care   a   curse 


HARD   CASH.  540 

whether  I  stay  or  go,  after  what  she  has  said  to  lue. 
But,  come  what  may,  you're  a  gentleman,  and  one  as  can 
put  hisself  in  a  poor  man's  place.  Why,  sir,  I  wasn't 
always  so  rough ;  but  I  have  been  twenty  years  at  it ; 
and  mad  folk  they'd  Avear  the  patience  out  of  Jove,  and 
the  milk  of  human  kindness  out  of  saints  and  opossums. 
However,  if  I  was  to  stay  here  all  my  life,  instead  of 
going  to-morrow,  I'd  never  lift  hand  to  trouble  you  again, 
for  you  taking  my  part  against  yourself  like  that." 

"  I'll  put  that  to  the  test,"  said  Mrs.  Archbold,  sharply. 
"  Stay  —  on  your  probation.     Hannah  ! " 

And  baby-face  biceps  at  a  look  took  off  his  handcuffs ; 
which  she  had  been  prominent  in  putting  on. 

This  extraordinary  scene  ended  in  the  men  being  dis- 
missed, and  the  women  remaining  and  going  to  work 
after  their  kind. 

"The  bed  is  too  short,  for  one  thing,"  said  Hannah. 
*'  Look  at  his  poor  feet  sticking  out,  and  cold  as  a  stone. 
Just  feel  of  them,  Jane." 

"No,  no;  murder!"  cried  Alfred  ;  "  that  tickles." 

Hannah  ran  for  a  chair,  Jane  for  another  pillow.  Mrs. 
Archbold  took  off  his  handcuffs,  and,  passing  her  hand 
softly  and  caressingly  over  his  head,  lamented  the  loss 
of  his  poor  hair.  Amongst  them  they  relieved  him  of 
his  strait-jacket,  set  up  his  head,  covered  his  feet,  and  he 
slept  like  a  top  for  want  of  drastics  and  opiates,  and  in 
spite  of  some  brilliant  charges  by  the  Liliputian  cavalry. 

After  this  the  attendants  never  molested  Alfred  again ; 
nor  did  the  doctor ;  for  Mrs.  Archbold  got  his  boluses, 
and  sent  them  up  to  a  famous  analyzing  chemist  in 
London,  and  told  him  she  had ;  and  said,  "  I'll  thank  you 
not  to  prescribe  at  random  for  tliat  patient  any  more." 
He  took  the  lady's  prescription,  coming  as  it  did  in  a 
voice  quietly  grim,  and  with  a  momentary  but  wicked 
glance  shot  from  under  her  black  brows. 


650  HARD  CASH. 

Alfred  was  all  the  more  miserable  at  his  confinement : 
his  melancholy  deepened  now  there  was  no  fighting  to 
excite  him.  A  handsome,  bright  young  face  clouded 
with  sadness  is  very  joitiable,  and  I  need  not  say  that 
both  the  women  who  had  fallen  in  love  with  him  had 
their  eyes,  or  at  least  the  tails  of  their  eyes,  forever  on 
his  face.  The  result  varied  with  the  characters  of  the 
watchers.  That  young  face,  ever  sad,  made  Mrs.  Arch- 
bold  sigh,  and  long  to  make  him  happy  under  her  wing. 
.  How  it  wrought  on  the  purer  and  more  womanly  Hannah 
will  be  revealed  by  the  incident  I  have  to  relate.  Alfred 
was  sitting  on  a  bench  in  the  corridor  bowed  down  by 
grief,  and  the  Archbold  lurking  in  a  room  hard  by,  feast- 
ing her  eyes  on  him  through  an  aperture  in  the  door 
—  caused  by  the  inspection  plate  being  under  repair  — 
when  an  erotic  maniac  was  driven  past.  She  had  ob- 
tained access  —  with  marvellous  cunning  —  to  the  men's 
side ;  but  was  now  coming  back  with  a  flea  in  her  ear, 
and  faster  than  she  went,  being  handcuffed  and  pro- 
pelled by  baby-face  biceps.  On  passing  the  disconso- 
late Alfred,  the  latter  eyed  him  coyly,  gave  her  stray 
sheep  a  coarse  push  —  as  one  pushes  a  thing  —  and  laid 
a  timid  hand,  gentle  as  falling  down,  upon  the  rougher 
sex.     Contrast  sudden  and  funny. 

"  Don't  be  so  sad,  sir,"  she  murmured,  cooing  like  the 
gentlest  of  doves.  "  I  can't  bear  to  see  you  look  like 
that." 

Alfred  looked  up,  and  met  her  full  with  his  mournful, 
honest  eyes.  "  Ah,  Hannah,  how  can  I  be  anything  but 
sad,  imprisoned  here,  sane  amongst  the  mad  ?  " 

"  Well,  and  so  am  I,  sir ;  so  is  Mrs.  Archbold  herself." 

"  Ay,  but  you  have  not  been  entrapped,  imprisoned,  on 
your  wedding-day.  I  cannot  even  get  a  word  sent  to  my 
Julia,  my  wife  that  ought  to  be.  Only  think  of  the 
affront  they  have  made  me  put  on  hei-  I  love  better,  ten 


HARD   CASH.  551 

times  better,  than  mj-self.  Why,  she  must  have  been 
waiting  for  me,  humiliated  perliaps  b}^  my  absence. 
^yllat  will  she  think  of  me  ?  The  rogues  will  tell  her  a 
thousand  lies :  she  is  very  high-spirited,  Hannah,  impetu- 
ous like  myself,  only  so  gentle  and  so  good;  oh,  my 
angel,  my  angel,  I  shall  lose  you  forever ! " 

Hannah  clasped  her  hands,  with  tears  in  her  eyes ; 
"Xo,  no,"  she  cried;  "it  is  a  burning  shame  to  part 
true  lovers  like  you  and  her.  Hush !  speak  low.  Brown 
told  me  you  are  as  well  as  he  is.'' 

"  God  bless  him  for  it,  then." 

"  You  have  got  money,  they  say :  try  it  on  with 
Brown." 

"  I  wilL     Oh,  you  darling  !     "\Miat  is  the  matter  ?  " 

For  baby-face  was  beginning  to  whimper. 

"  Oh,  nothing,  sir ;  only  you  are  so  glad  to  go  ;  and  we 
shall  be  sorry  to  part  with  you,  but  you  won't  care  for 
that.     Oh!  oh!  oh!" 

"  "What,  do  you  think  I  shall  forget  you  and  your 
kindness  ?  Never.  I'll  square  accounts  with  friends 
and  foes  ;  not  one  shall  be  forgotten." 

"  Don't  offer  me  any  of  your  money,"  sobbed  Hannah, 
"  for  I  wouldn't  touch  it.  Good-by,"  said  she  :  "  I  sha'n't 
have  as  much  as  a  kiss  for  it,  I'll  be  bound.  Good-by," 
said  she  again,  and  never  moved. 

"  Oh,  won't  you,  though  ?  "  cried  Alfred,  gayly.  "  What 
is  that  ?  and  that  ?  and  that  ?  Now  what  on  earth  are 
you  crying  about  ?  Dry  your  tears,  you  dear  good- 
hearted  girl :  no,  I'll  dry  them  for  you." 

He  took  out  a  white  handkerchief,  and  dried  her 
cheeks  gently  for  her,  and  gave  her  a  parting  kiss  ;  but 
the  Archbold's  patience  was  exhausted  :  a  door  opened 
nearly  opposite,  and  there  she  stood  yellow  with  jeal- 
ousy, and  sombre  as  night  with  her  ebon  brows.  At 
sight  of  this  lowering  figure  Hannah  uttered  a  squawk, 


552  HARD   CA.SH. 

and  fled  with  cheeks  red  as  fire.  Alfred,  not  aware  of 
Mrs.  Archbold's  smouldering  passion,  and  little  dream- 
ing that  jealous  angi  ish  and  rage  stood  incarnate  before 
him,  burst  out  laughing  Kke  mischievous  boy.  On  this 
she  swept  upon  him,  and  took  him  by  both  shoulders, 
and  awed  him  wit  her  lowering  brows  close  to  his. 
"  You  ungrateful  wretch,"  she  said,  violently,  and 
panted. 

His  color  rose.  *  Ungrateful  ?  That  I  am  not, 
madam.     Why  do  you  cail  me  so  ?  " 

"  You  are,  you  are.  Whc^t  have  I  done  to  you  that 
you  run  from  me  to  the  very  servants  ?  However,  she 
shall  be  packed  off  this  very  night,  and  you  to  thank 
for  it." 

This  was  the  way  to  wound  the  generous  youth. 
"  Now  it  is  you  that  are  ungenerous,"  he  said.  "  What 
harm  has  the  poor  girl  done  ?  She  had  a  virtuous 
movement,  and  pitied  me  for  the  heartless  fraud  I  suf- 
fer by ;  that  is  all.     Pray,  do  you  never  pity  me  ?  " 

"Was  it  this  virtuous  movement  set  her  kissing  you?" 
said  the  Archbold,  clenching  her  teeth  as  if  the  word 
stung  her,  like  the  sight. 

"  She  didn't,  now,"  said  Alfred :  "  it  was  I  kissed 
her." 

"  And  yet  you  pretend  to  love  your  Julia  so  truly  ?  " 

"  This  is  no  place  for  that  sacred  name,  madam.  But 
be  sure  I  have  no  sec  ets  from  her,  and  kiss  nobody  she 
would  not  kiss  hers  K." 

"  She  must  be  a  very  accommodating  young  lady." 

At  this  insult  Alf  vid  rosv.  pale  with  anger,  and  was 
about  to  efy  his  monitor  mortally,  but  the  quick-witted 
woman  saw  and  uisarmed  him  ;  in  one  moment,  before 
ever  he  could  speak,  she  was  a  transformed  creature,  a 
penitent :  she  put  her  hands  together  supplicatiugly,  and 
murmured,  — 


HARD    CASH,  553 

"I  didn't  mean  it:  I  respect  her  and  your  love  for 
her :  forgive  me,  Alfred  ;  I  am  so  unhappy ;  oh,  forgive 
mc !" 

And  behold,  she  held  his  hand  between  her  soft, 
burning  palms,  and  her  proud  head  sank  languidly  on 
his  shoulder,  and  the  inevitable  tears  ran  gently. 

Morals  apart,  it  was  glorious  love-making. 

"Bother  the  woman !"  thought  Alfred. 

"Promise  me  not  to  do  it  again,"  she  murmured, 
"and  the  girl  shall  stay." 

"O  Lord,  yes !  I  promise ;  though  I  can't  see  what  it 
matters  to  you." 

"Not  much,  cruel  boy,  alas !  but  it  matters  to  her ; 
for," — she  kissed  Alfred's  hand  gently  and  rose  to  her 
feet  and  moved  away,  but  at  the  second  step  turned  her 
head  sudden  as  a  bird  and  finished  her  sentence, — "if 
you  kiss  her  before  me,  I  shall  kill  her  before  you." 

Here  was  a  fresh  complication.  The  men  had  left  ofif 
blistering,  torturing,  and  bullying  him  ;  but  his  guardian 
angels,  the  women,  were  turning  up  their  sleeves  to  pull 
caps  over  him,  and  plenty  of  the  random  scratches 
would  fall  on  him.  If  anything  could  have  made  him 
pine  more  to  be  out  of  the  horrid  place,  this  voluptuous 
prospect  would.  He  hunted  everywhere  for  Brown. 
But  he  was  away  the  day  with  a  patient.  At  night  he 
lay  awake  for  a  long  time, thinking  how  he  should  open 
the  negotiation :  he  shrank  from  it.  He  felt  a  delicacy 
about  bribing  Beelzebub's  servant  to  betray  him. 

As  Hannah  had  originated  the  idea,  he  thought  he 
might  very  well  ask  her  to  do  the  dirty  work  of  bribing 
Brown,  and  he  would  pay  her  for  it :  only  in  money,  not 
kisses.  With  this  resolution  he  sank  to  sleep ;  and  his 
s])irit  broke  prison :  he  stood  with  Julia  before  the 
altar,  and  the  priest  made  them  one.  Then  the  church 
and  the  company  and  daylight  disappeared, and  her  own 


554  HARD    CASH. 

sweet,  low,  moving  voice  came  thrilling,  "My  own, 
own,  own."  She  murmured,  "I  love  you  ten  times 
more  for  all  you  have  endured  for  me ;''  and  with  this 
her  sweet  lips  settled  on  his  like  the  dew. 

Impartial  sleep  flies  at  the  steps  of  the  scaffold  and 
the  gate  of  Elysium :  so  Alfred  awoke  at  the  above,  but 
doubted  whether  he  was  quite  awake,  for  two  velvet  lips 
seemed  to  be  still  touching  his.  He  stirred,  and  some- 
body was  gone  like  the  wind,  with  a  rustle  of  flying  pet- 
ticoats, and  his  door  shut  in  a  moment :  it  closed  with 
a  catch-lock.  This  dastardly  vision  had  opened  it  with 
her  key,  and  left  it  open  to  make  good  her  retreat  if 
he  should  awake.  Alfred  sat  up  in  bed  indignant,  and 
somewhat  fluttered.  "Confound  her  impudence !"  said 
he.  But  there  was  no  help  for  it :  he  grinned  and  bore 
it,  as  he  had  the  blisters,  and  boluses,  etc.,  rolled  the 
clothes  round  his  shoulders,  and  off  to  the  sleep  of  the 
just  again.  Not  so  the  passionate  hypocrite,  who,  mad- 
dened by  a  paroxysm  of  jealousy,  had  taken  this  cow- 
ardly advantage  of  a  prisoner.  She  had  sucked  fresh 
poison  from  those  honest  lips,  and  filled  her  veins  with 
molten  fire.  She  tossed  and  turned  the  livelong  night 
in  a  high  fever  of  passion,  nor  were  the  cold  chills 
wanting  of  shame  and  fear  at  what  she  had  done. 

In  the  morning  Alfred  remembered  this  substantial 
vision,  and  determined  to  find  out  which  of  those  two  it 
was.  "I  shall  know  by  her  looks,"  said  he :  "she  won't 
be  able  to  meet  my  eye."  Well,  the  first  he  saw  was 
Mrs.  Archbold.  She  met  his  eye  full  with  a  mild  and 
pensive  dignity.  "Come,  it  is  not  you,"  thought  Al- 
fred. Presently  he  fell  in  with  Hannah.  She  wore  a  se- 
rene, infantine  face,  the  picture  of  unobtrusive  modesty. 
Alfred  was  dumfounded.  "It's  not  this  one,  either," 
said  he.  "But  then,  it  must.  Confound  her  impudence 
for  looking  so  modest !"    However,  he  did  not  speak  to 


HARD   CASH.  555 

her:  he  was  looking  out  for  a  face  that  interested  him 
far  more,  —  the  weather-beaten  countenance  of  Giles 
Brown.  He  saw  him  once  or  twice,  but  could  not  get 
him  alone  till  the  afternoon.  He  invited  him  into  his 
room,  and,  when  he  goi  him  there,  lost  no  time.  "  Just 
look  me  in  the  face.  Brown,"  said  he  quietly.  Brown 
looked  him  in  the  face. 

"  Xow,  sir,  am  I  mad  or  sane  ?  " 

Brown  turned  his  head  away.  Alfred  laughed.  "  No, 
no,  none  of  your  tricks,  old  fellow  :  look  me  in  the  face 
while  you  anower." 

The  man  -folored.  "  I  can't  look  a  gentleman  like  you 
in  the  face,  and  tell  him  he  is  mad." 

"I  should  think  not.  Well,  now,  what  shall  I  give 
you  to  help  me  escape  ?  " 

"  Hush  !  don't  mention  that,  sir :  it's  as  much  as  my 
place  is  worth  even  to  listen  to  you." 

"  Well,  then  I  must  give  a^ou  as  much  as  your  place  is 
worth.     Please  to  calculate  that,  and  name  the  figure." 

"  My  place  !    I  wouldn't  lose  it  for  a  hundred  pounds." 

"  Exactly.     Then  I'll  give  you  a  hundred  guineas." 

"  And  how  am  I  to  get  my  money,  sir  ?  " 

"  The  first  time  you  are  out,  come  to  Albion  Villa,  in 
Barkington,  and  I'll  have  it  all  ready  for  you." 

"  And  suppose  you  were  to  say,  '  Xo :  you  didn't 
ought  ever  to  have  been  confined  ? '  " 

"  I  must  trouble  you  to  look  in  my  face  again,  ]\Ir. 
Brown.  Now,  do  you  see  treason,  bad  faith,  avarice,  in- 
gratitude, rascality,  in  it  ?  " 

"Not  a  grain  of  'em,"  said  Brown,  with  an  accent  of 
conviction.  "  Well,  now,  I'll  tell  you  the  truth.  I  can 
read  a  gent  by  this  time,  and  I'm  no  more  afeared  for 
the  money  than  if  I  had  it  in  my  hand.  But,  ye  see 
my  stomach  won't  let  me  do  it." 

This   was    a    sad    disappointment,    so    sudden,    too. 


556  HARD  CASH. 

"  Your  stomach  ?  "  said  Alfred,  ruefully.  "  What  do  you 
mean  ?  " 

"  Ay,  my  stomach.  Wouldn't  your  stomach  rise  against 
serving  a  man  that  had  done  you  the  worst  turn  one  man 
can  do  another,  —  been  and  robbed  you  of  your  sweet- 
heart ?  " 

Alfred  stared  with  amazement. 

Brown  continued,  and  now  with  some  emotion :  "  Han- 
nah Blake  and  I  were  very  good  friends  till  you  came ; 
and  I  was  thinking  of  asking  her  to  name  the  day,  but 
now  she  won't  look  at  me.  *  Don't  come  teasing  me,' 
says  she,  '  I  am  meat  for  your  master.'  It's  you  that 
have  turned  the  girl's  head,  sir." 

*'  Bother  the  women  I  "  said  Alfred,  cordially.  "  Oh, 
what  plagues  they  are  !  And  how  unjust  you  are,  to 
spite  me  for  the  fault  of  another.  Can  I  help  the  fools 
from  spooning  upon  me  ?  "  He  reflected  a  moment,  then 
burst  out,  "  Brown,  3-ou  are  a  duffer,  a  regular  duffer. 
What,  don't  you  see  your  game  is  to  get  me  out  of  the 
place  ?  If  you  do,  in  forty-eight  hours  I  shall  be  mar- 
ried to  my  Julia,  and  that  dumpling-faced  girl  will  be 
cured.  But  if  you  keep  me  here,  by  Gee  !  sir,  I'll  make 
hot  love  to  your  Hannah,  boiling  hot,  hotter  than  ever 
was,  —  out  of  the  isles  of  Greece.  Oh  !  do  help  me  out, 
and  I'll  give  you  the  hundred  pounds,  and  I'll  give 
Hannah  another  hundred  pounds,  on  condition  she  mar- 
ries you ;  and  if  she  won't  marry  you,  she  sha'n't  have 
a  farthing,  only  a  good  hiding." 

Brown  was  overpowered  by  his  maniac's  logic.  "  You 
have  a  head,"  said  he  ;  "  there's  my  hand :  I'll  go  in,  if 
I  die  for  it." 

They  now  put  their  heads  together  over  the  means. 
Brown's  plan  was  to  wait,  and  wait,  for  an  opportunity ; 
Alfred's  was  to  make  one  this  very  ntght. 

"  But  how  can  I  ?  "  said  Brown.     '•'  I  sha'n't  have  the 


HARD   CASH.  557 

key  of  your  room,      I  am  not  ou  watch   in  your  part 
to-night." 

''  Borrow  Hannah's." 

''  Hannah's  ?  She  has  got  no  key  of  the  male  patients' 
rooms." 

"  Oh,  yes,  she  has ;  of  mine,  at  all  events." 

"  What  makes  you  think  that,  sir  ? "  said  Brown, 
suspiciously. 

Alfred  didn't  know  what  to  say  :  he  could  not  tell  him 
why  he  felt  sure  she  had  a  key. 

"Just  go  quietly  and  ask  her  for  it,"  said  he;  "don't 
tell  her  I  sent  you,  now." 

Brown  obeyed,  and  returned  in  half  an  hour  with  the 
key  of  the  vacant  bedroom,  where  the  hobbles  and  chains 
were  hidden  on  the  arrival  of  the  justices. 

"  She  tells  me  this  is  the  only  key  she  has  of  any 
room  in  this  corridor.  But,  dear  heart,"  said  Brown, 
'•'  how  quick-sighted  the  women  are  !  She  said,  says  she, 
'  If  it  is  to  bring  sorrowful  true  lovers  together  again, 
Giles,  or  the  like  of  that,  I'll  try  and  get  the  key  you 
want  off  Mrs.  Archbold's  bunch,  though  I  get  the  sack 
for  it,'  says  she.  '  I  know  she  leaves  them  in  the  parlor 
at  night,'  says  Hannah.  She  is  a  trump,  you  must 
allow." 

Alfred  colored  up.     He  suspected  he  had  been  unjust. 

"She  is  a  good,  kind,  single-hearted  girl,"  said  he; 
"  and  neither  of  you  shall  find  me  ungrateful." 

It  was  evident,  by  the  alacrity  Brown  now  showed, 
that  he  had  got  his  orders  from  Hannah. 

It  was  agreed  that  Alfred  should  lie  down  at  night  in 
his  clothes,  ready  to  seize  the  right  moment ;  that  Han- 
nah should  get  the  key,  and  watch  the  coast  clear,  and 
let  him  out  into  the  corridor ;  and  Brown  get  him  down 
by  a  back  stairs,  and  out  on  the  lawn.  There  he  would 
find  a  ladder  close  by  the  wall,  and  his  own  arms  and 
legs  must  do  the  rest. 


658  HARD   CASH. 

And  now  Alfred  was  a  changed  creature;  his  eye 
sparkled ;  he  walked  on  air,  and  already  sniffed  the  air 
of  liberty. 

After  tea  Brown  brought  in  some  newspapers,  and 
made  Alfred  a  signal,  previously  agreed  on,  that  the 
ladder  was  under  the  east  wall.  He  went  to  bed  early, 
put  on  his  tweed  shooting-jacket  and  trousers,  and  lay 
listening  to  the  clock  with  beating  heart. 

At  first,  feet  passed  to  and  fro  from  time  to  time. 
These  became  less  frequent  as  the  night  wore  on. 

Presently  a  light  foot  passed,  stopped  at  the  door,  and 
made  a  sharp  scratch  on  it  with  some  metal  instrument. 

It  was  the  key.  The  time  was  not  ripe  to  use  it,  but 
good  Hannah  had  taken  this  way  to  let  him  know  she 
had  got  it. 

This  little  scratch  outside  his  door,  oh,  it  made  his 
heart  leap  and  thrill.  One  great  difficulty  was  overcome. 
He  waited,  and  waited,  but  with  glowing,  hopeful  heart* 
and  at  last  a  foot  came  SAviftly,  the  key  turned,  and 
Hannah  opened  the  door.     She  had  a  bull's-eye  lantern. 

"  Take  your  shoes  in  your  hand,"  she  whispered,  "  and 
follow  me." 

He  followed  her.  She  led  him  in  and  out,  to  the  door 
of  the  public  room  belonging  to  the  second-class  patients. 
Then  she  drew  her  whistle,  and  breathed  very  softly. 
Brown  answered  as  softly  from  the  other  end.  He  was 
waiting  at  the  opposite  door. 

"All  right,"  said  she;  "the  dangerous  part  is  over." 
She  put  a  key  into  the  door,  and  said  very  softly,  "  Good- 
by." 

"  God  bless  you,  Hannah ! "  said  Alfred,  with  deep 
emotion.     "  God  in  heaven  bless  you  for  this  ! " 

"  He  will.  He  does,"  said  the  single-hearted  girl,  and 
put  her  other  hand  to  her  breast  with  a  great  gulp.  She 
opened  the  door  slowly.  "Good-by,  dear.  I  shall  never 
see  you  again." 


HARD   CASH.  559 

And  so  these  two  parted ;  for  Hannah  couhl  not  bear 
the  sight  of  Giles  at  that  moment.  He  was  welcome  to 
Alfred  though,  most  welcome,  and  conducted  him  by 
devious  ways  to  the  kitchen,  lantern  in  hand. 

He  opened  the  kitchen-door  softly,  and  saw  two  burly 
strangers  seated  at  a  table,  eating  with  all  their  souls, 
and  Mrs.  Archbold  standing  before  the  fire,  but  looking 
towards  him:  for  she  had  heard  his  footsteps  ever  so 
far  off. 

The  men  looked  up,  and  saw  Alfred.  They  rose  to 
their  feet,  and  said, "  This  will  be  the  gentleman,  madam  ?  " 

"Yes,"  said  ]\[rs.  Archbold. 

"Your  servant,  sir,"  said  the  man  very  civilly.  "If 
you  are  ready  we  are." 


THE  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Santa  Barbara 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW. 


Series  9482 


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A  A         001  425  440  3 


